Too Good For These Games
by glossmontgomery
Summary: Gloss didn't ever expect to take part in the Hunger Games. All he wants is the chance to give his sister a better life. This is the story of Gloss Montgomery, victor of the 63rd Hunger Games.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've had this idea in my head for a while and couldn't resist starting to write it. I've always thought Gloss and Cashmere must have an interesting back story for them both to have ended up as victors and wanted to think about what this could be. If you come across this story I'd definitely appreciate some feedback, even if just to let me know that you're reading. Obviously, anything you recognise belongs to Suzanne Collins and not to me. I hope you enjoy it.**

Gloss:

Our swords clash together with less regularity than before, but we still consistently meet the other's blade. We are both growing tired, and I can hear Ray's breath almost as loudly as I can hear my own. I don't want to give up, though. He's probably the better fighter, and I know that, but I'm determined. Sweat drips down my forehead and the sword feels heavy in my arm, but I force myself to pick up the pace.

Ray looks surprised but is quick to meet my new rhythm. I am slowly forcing him backwards, towards the corner of the room, and he's aware of this but still doesn't fail to parry my quick strokes. We have each watched the other fight so many times that anticipating our next moves feels like second nature.

Ray isn't even looking at my blade, he's watching my face, and it is this that means he falls, tripping on a mace that must have been left there earlier in the day. He drops his sword and looks up at me, defiant, as the point of my blade meets his throat.

I stand still for a moment, putting just enough pressure on the sword that I am causing him discomfort without breaking the skin and drawing blood.

Ray hesitates, then grins at me. "Call it a day?"

"Yeah, we should get moving." My hand is sweaty and I wipe it on my trousers before reaching out to help him off the ground.

We are both panting and I close my eyes briefly while I try to catch my breath. We must have been fighting for at least an hour. It was before dawn when we arrived and the stream of sunlight now coming through the skylight suggests that sunrise was a while ago.

"You were good today. If this was a real fight I'd be dead," Ray says, wiping his forehead on the back of his hand. "I'm glad you won't be in the arena with me."

"Nah, you know that any other day you'd beat me. You're just distracted today with all your thoughts of your trip to the Capitol," I say, nudging him with my shoulder. "And I needed to blow some steam."

"Bad night?" Ray looks sympathetic as he wipes his sword on his sleeve before returning it to the sword rack in the gymnasium.

I nod. "It just makes me so angry."

Ray doesn't say anything but quietly watches me put my own sword away before awkwardly patting my shoulder.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to put a downer on things," I say.

"What happened? Is Cash okay?" Ray looks concerned. He's the only one who really knows about the way things are at home, and I know he worries about my sister almost as much as I do. He treats us both like we're his family.

"She was crying all night, but I think she will be okay. I just wish I could make it better." I kick the ground as we walk towards the door.

"Well, if there's anything I can do to help you know you just have to ask," Ray says. He holds the door open for me and I step through, waiting for him to lock up behind us. The training centre is supposed to be closed to everybody on reaping day but as Ray is the selected tribute for this year's games he's been entrusted with a key. We've used it for a lot of early morning practice and I'm grateful. The exercise keeps me sane.

We start the short walk towards the road where we both live.

"Not much you'll be able to do from the Capitol," I say, grinning. I want to lighten the conversation. We spend enough time talking about the way my Father treats my sister. This is Ray's big day and I should be helping to make it special for him. Now isn't the time for him to be worrying about my family problems.

Ray laughs. "I'll miss you, mate."

"I might miss you too, a bit," I say, laughing. "But you'll be home soon."

"Should be," Ray says with a solemn nod. "So long as nobody in there is as good with a sword as you are."

"Or as beautiful as me. That might give you some problems getting sponsors," I say seriously.

Ray shoves me and I laugh. For some reason it's become acceptable for us to joke about how much better looking I am than him. It's silly, really, and I don't know why we do it. Ray's good looking in his own way, and we've always been equals at the top of the class in training, but I'm the one girls have been throwing themselves at since we were thirteen. Ray doesn't mind. He's not really bothered about it. The only thing that's ever been important to him is the Hunger Games.

"I still can't believe you didn't want to run for tribute," Ray says, looking at me curiously.

This isn't the first time we've had this conversation. I keep telling him that the Games just don't appeal to me, but I know that Ray is genuinely confused. The Hunger Games are what he's always lived for, and he can't comprehend the fact that I never wanted to take part in them, especially as he and I have always been the best in training. I think that part of him still worries I might take this away from him.

"It's not really for me," I say, considering my words carefully. I don't want to sound like I'm against the Games. We never know who's listening, especially so close to the training centre. There's no point speaking negatively about the Games to Ray anyway. He just doesn't get it.

"How can it not be for you? Think of the glory that comes with winning. When I get home, there won't be a person in Panem who doesn't know my name." Ray's eyes are lit up with excitement.

"I know. I'm happy for you. I know it's exciting. I just think personally I'm better off without all that."

"Well, your loss is my gain," Ray says, his eyes twinkling.

"Make sure it is."

"You know I will. And hey, I might stand a chance with some of the Capitol ladies if I don't have you there next to me all the time," Ray says with a laugh. He stops by the gate to his front garden, wrinkling his nose at the squeak it makes as he pushes it open. "Well, this is me. I guess I'll see you after the reaping. You'll be there to say goodbye?"

"You bet." I clap Ray on the back and watch him walk away down the path to his house. He doesn't seem scared at all. I don't know what I'd feel like if it was me going to the Capitol. Probably I'd be terrified, but I guess it's different for Ray. This has always been his dream and now that it's so close all he has time to feel is excitement.

I walk down the road by myself. The street is empty and silent, like a ghost town. Reaping day is a public holiday and most people are inside with their families, either looking forward to the day when they might be able to compete for a place in the Games, or grateful that they don't live in a District without volunteers.

My house is a few places down from Ray's. I open the gate to my own garden, wishing I didn't have to go back inside and see my Father, unable to get Cashmere's devastated screams out of my head. It wasn't always horrible in the house. When we were little and Mum was still alive it was different. Dad was different. Now I wish I could be anywhere else.

I'm rummaging in my pocket for my keys when the hands clamp over my eyes.

For a moment I am scared, unsure what's happening, and then I hear a familiar giggle.

"Di? Is that you?"

Diamante laughs louder and turns me around to look at her, putting her hands either side of my face and standing on tiptoes to kiss me quickly on the lips. She's wearing too much make up again. Her eyes are coated in black kohl and her lips are an unnatural, pastel pink. I tried to tell her once that I prefer her without make up but it upset her so much that I decided it wasn't worth it. I suppose I should be flattered that she puts so much time into trying to look attractive for me.

I smile at her. She's been my girlfriend for a few months now and I'm glad to have her. She's good fun. I twirl a lock of her hair around my finger, bringing her closer to me. Her hair is platinum blonde and falls just below her shoulders in curls that look real but feel like plastic. I don't like how much of her isn't real. Her eyelashes, her hair, her tan and her long nails. It makes me unsure whether anything about her is real at all.

But I enjoy her company. It's good to see her.

"I wanted to give you something, before the reaping," Diamante says, her voice low and sultry. She licks her lips and stares straight into my eyes as she speaks.

"Oh? What's that?" I run my hand down her back, drawing her still closer to me.

"Well, you know, just in case one of us ends up going to the Capitol today…" she whispers into my ear, dropping a single kiss onto my earlobe.

"We won't be going to the Capitol, silly," I say, struggling to concentrate on my words as she bites my ear. "Ruby and Ray have already been chosen, and neither of them is going to turn down the chance to volunteer."

"I know, but we can never be completely sure. I like to play it safe. I don't want you to forget about me," she says, her voice coming out as a bit of a whine. She carefully starts to unbutton my shirt, tugging the fabric away from my shoulders.

"Stop being silly. How could I forget…" I stop talking as she kisses down my chest, pausing as she nears the top of my jeans.

She bends down onto her knees and looks up at me through her lashes. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"Um, nothing," I say, groaning as she slowly tugs down the zip at the front of my jeans, kissing me through the fabric. I reach down and pull the straps of her top down so her chest is exposed. We've been like this before, but this feels different, maybe because she initiated it, or maybe because we're outside in my front garden.

She stands up again, kissing me and sliding her tongue between my lips. I close my eyes, smiling against her lips as she reaches her hand down the front of my jeans. I put my own hands down onto her breasts. She lets out a sharp intake of breath and I bite down gently on her lip.

There is a scream from inside the house and I pull away from Di. She tries to get my attention, grabbing my arm and struggling to hold onto me, but I zip up my jeans and pull away from her.

"Gloss, wait," Diamante calls. "Come on, Gloss. I wasn't done. Come back. You won't regret it."

I ignore her and run towards the house, leaving my shirt on the floor beside her. It takes me a horribly long time trying to fit my key into the lock of the front door, and in that time I hear a crash and another scream. I fumble with the key and shove the door open, rushing into the house and leaving the door to slam shut behind me.

The kitchen door is open and I knock over a lamp in my rush to get there, dreading what I know I'm going to see but knowing I need to help.

Cashmere is curled up in the corner of the kitchen, a deep cut on her forehead surrounded by skin that is already starting to bruise. The red dress she'd put on for the reaping is torn from the neck to the waist and has ridden up around her thighs. She is clutching the fabric of the bodice to keep herself as covered as possible as she cowers against the wall behind her.

It's not the first time I've seen my sister this way but that doesn't make it any easier as I watch her sobbing and trying to cover her ears without letting go of her dress, desperate not to hear the words our Father shouts at her as he wobbles towards her, swaying but not dropping the bottle of liquor in his hand.

"Look at me, you dirty little slut. Enough of the tears already…ungrateful bitch. I don't give you anything you don't deserve. You know that, don't you? I only give you what you want, what you crave." He stumbles slightly, sloshing some of the white liquor over the edge of the bottle he is clutching. "You're _desperate _for it, aren't you? I hear you crying at night, waiting for me to come through your door. You think you'd be happy if I just left you alone? You sit there acting like some helpless little victim but I've seen the way you look at me when you think I don't see you…hoping I'll come into your room, wanting someone to teach you a lesson."

He's slurring his words and Cashmere draws her legs nearer to her as he comes closer. She's trying to cover herself up but ends up baring more of her legs. She is shuddering and her tears have smudged the make up she must have put on for the reaping. Our Father steps closer to her, leering down at her.

I pick up a full bottle from the counter and, hardly thinking, smash it down on his head. He falls to the ground but is still breathing. If he wasn't as drunk as he is he'd be able to get straight back up but I don't bother paying him any attention, and instead gather Cashmere up into my arms and carry her out of the room and up the stairs.

I never understand why she doesn't fight him when he does this, why she waits for me to come and rescue her. She's been going to training since she was three years old. She could kill him in seconds, but somehow she still sits and does nothing while he abuses her. I can't ask her why. I don't want to sound like I blame her. But I still don't understand. She says that his words don't bother her but I often wonder whether she's started to believe him, whether she thinks this really is what she deserves.

I put Cashmere down on the bed in my room, tucking my blankets around her shaking shoulders. I leave her there for a minute while I soak a towel in cold water. I bring the wet towel back into the room and sit down next to my sister, pressing the towel to her forehead.

She clutches a blanket tightly in her hands and lets me put my arms around her, holding her as she tries to stop her tears. I stroke her hair, trying to calm her down. She always leaves her hair loose, letting it shimmer with gold in the sun. I run my fingers through it, to soothe myself just as much as to soothe her.

I'm trying not to let my anger with our Father get in the way of my caring for my sister. She doesn't need me to be angry. She needs me to be there for her.

"I don't like that you always have to come and rescue me," Cash mumbles. Her voice is thick with tears.

It breaks me when she says things like this, really, physically makes me feel like I'm breaking. I'm not rescuing her at all. I'm just protecting her for the moment. Nothing I do is ever enough, and I still end up listening to her screaming and crying in the night. I want to tell her she needs to start fighting back. She needs to rescue herself. I can't say that, though. I can't risk her thinking I blame her for what's happening, not when it's so clearly not her fault.

"Shush, Cash," I say, trying to smile for her benefit. "I'm your big brother. That's what I'm here for."

She gives me a watery smile. "I know there are things you'd rather be doing."

"Like what?"

"I'm only a year younger than you, Gloss. I'm not an idiot. I've noticed that you're not wearing a shirt." Cashmere giggles through her tears and I smile at her, a genuine smile this time.

"I'm glad you find it funny."

"Only a little bit funny. Was Diamante furious?"

"I expect I'll find out later."

"Sorry." Cashmere doesn't look sorry at all. It's good to see her laughing.

"Nothing to be sorry for. You know you're always going to be the most important person in my life."

Cashmere shakes her head. "I worry when you say things like that. Your life shouldn't revolve around me, Gloss. That's not right."

"My life doesn't _revolve _around you."

"But you'll drop everything to come and help me," Cashmere says with a sigh. "Obviously I'm grateful, I just don't want you to end up feeling like you've missed out because of me."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not missing out on anything, and if I was it would be Dad's fault, not yours."

She looks like she wants to argue but I shake my head.

"Come on, Cash. We should get dressed. The reaping starts in half an hour."

Cashmere rolls her eyes at me and stands up, dragging the blanket with her out of the door and into the room next door. I leave the door open so I can hear if our Father decides to venture up the stairs. I doubt he will. It was obvious how inebriated he was. When he's in this kind of a state he forgets about everything except his liquor unless Cashmere's actually in the room with him and is an easy target. She should be safe upstairs but it makes me feel better to know I'm near enough to help her if she's not.

My reaping clothes are the same as usual. I have a black suit and a smart white shirt which I had altered to fit me last year when I had another growth spurt. The jacket's a bit tight now. I've had it for a couple of years and the amount of training I do means I'm consistently putting on more muscle. Cash always says I'd look smarter with a tie but I don't really think it matters. I know it's not me going to the Capitol, so I'm unlikely to appear on camera.

I knock on Cashmere's door when I'm dressed and she answers, dressed in a purple silk dress that I recognise as having belonged to our Mother. She looks beautiful and I link my arm through hers to walk to the reaping.

We are some of the last to arrive at the square. I kiss Cashmere on the top of her head and queue up with the boys to register. The peacekeeper taking blood samples glares at me for being one of the latest and I don't look him in the eye. It's no secret that the District One peacekeepers hate their jobs. Most of the peacekeepers are bullies from District Two who want the chance to use their Hunger Games training against rebels and criminals. There aren't many of them here in One so the peacekeepers feel redundant and blame us for their boredom.

I make sure not to give the peacekeeper the satisfaction of seeing me wince as he pricks my finger and takes my blood sample to check me in, and make my way over to my place with the seventeen year old boys.

I can see Ray in the eighteens section. He catches my eye and I give him a grin and a thumbs up. He looks determined and I wonder what it would be like to have that kind of resolve about what you want from life. He's always known this is where he wants to be and it must feel strange to have finally reached this moment he's been waiting for.

I don't know what I'll say to him when it comes to goodbye. We've been best friends for so long that it feels like everything must already have been said. Whenever we've discussed the Games in the past it's been with the assumption that he'll come home again. Maybe he won't want me to say a proper goodbye.

I'm hardly paying attention as the Mayor reads out the treatise explaining why we have the Games and introduces the District One escort, Tulsa Dream. Tulsa's the strangest looking man I've ever encountered, but apparently he's quite normal for the Capitol. His hair is turquoise and he has silver tattoos instead of eyebrows. His lips are silver too but nobody knows whether this is another tattoo or paint.

"Ladies first," Tulsa calls out, his voice loud and clear. He rummages in the huge bowl in front of him and pulls out a name. He makes a big show of smoothing out the paper and holding it in front of his face to read the name of our female tribute for the year.

"This year's female tribute will be…Miss Starlight Dover."

There is movement in the sixteen years olds section. A girl next to Cashmere breaks her way out of the crowd and strides towards the stage. Cashmere pats her back as she walks past. She doesn't look scared at all, but then she doesn't really have reason to. Everybody knows Ruby Chandler's going to be the female tribute this year.

Tulsa asks if there are any volunteers and, as expected, Ruby is ready to approach the stage. There used to be multiple attempted volunteers every year, but it led to too many fights in front of the stage and the Mayor felt that it wasn't good for District One's image. Now we choose our tributes in advance.

Starlight steps down gracefully, letting Ruby take her place and making her way back to the sixteen year old girls to her place next to my sister. I look back at Cashmere. She's incredibly beautiful. People say that we look alike, with our golden hair and deep brown eyes. Our Mother always said we'd grow up to turn heads. I think Cashmere has that effect even more than I do. That's why she has such a hard time with our Father.

Today, she looks fragile and the bruise on her forehead is noticeable even from where I stand. It's a faint purple above her brow and I notice that she's holding onto the railing in front of her as if for support.

I'm suddenly filled with more anger than I know how to manage. I grip the metal bar in front of me that marks the division between the seventeen and eighteen ear olds. The metal bends slightly in my hand and the boy next to me takes a step back. I don't blame him. The fury is overwhelming, and all I can think is that I need to get my sister away from that house. Away from that man.

Somehow, through the rage, I am aware of a thirteen year old boy limping his way towards Tulsa.

Without thinking, without even waiting for Tulsa to ask, I am sprinting towards the stage, shouting that I volunteer. I volunteer as tribute.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks so much to all of you that read, especially those that reviewed/followed/favourited. It really makes writing so much more fulfilling. Again, anything you recognise from The Hunger Games trilogy does not belong to me.**

Cashmere:

When I was twelve years old Gloss stole a knife from the training centre. He didn't tell anyone he'd taken it, not even Ray or me, and he definitely had the necessary skill to use it. He'd already spent the best part of a decade in training to kill.

Our Father had recently started to come into my room, drunk and stumbling and cruel.

I never told Gloss what was going on but I wasn't naive enough to think that he wouldn't have realised.

The third night it happened I waited for it to be over and then made myself get up, dragging myself to my brother's room so I didn't have to be alone. I lay next to him in his narrow bed, letting him hold my hand tightly in his and listening to his furious breaths.

I knew Gloss was going to try to do it. I also knew he wouldn't be able to go through with it.

He waited until he thought I must surely be asleep and then climbed out of the bed, pausing to tuck the blankets back around my shoulders. I could hear him taking the knife out from the loose floorboard under which he hid everything precious to him. I didn't say anything to him, letting him think I wasn't awake. I lay there and waited.

And waited.

When I eventually realised he wasn't going to come back by himself I stood up, padding carefully down the corridor towards the room our Father used to share with our Mother. I'd avoided the room since her death, not wanting any unnecessary encounters with our Father now that he was drinking so much, but I knew it was where Gloss would be.

I found Gloss standing over our Father, who lay flat on his belly, snoring heavily, a thin trail of drool hanging over the pillow. Gloss was shaking, the knife held in the air in front of him, clasped in fingers that he couldn't keep still. I put a hand gently on his arm and led him out of the room, closing the door gently behind us.

He was ashamed, I think, wrapping his arms around me and shaking his head against my shoulder.

"I couldn't do it, Cash," he kept saying, his words a furious mutter.

"I know."

"You came to find me. You knew what I was trying to do. You knew I wouldn't be able to do it."

"I always know what's going on in your head, big brother," I said, smiling even though I was still in pain from earlier in the night. I stood on tiptoes and held him until his breathing steadied.

I really believed that. I truly thought that I knew everything about him. Even this morning, I would have sworn I could always say what Gloss was thinking. I didn't think he'd ever be able to surprise me.

But I never realised he'd volunteer for the Hunger Games. It never even occurred to me that he might.

The girls around me at the reaping are whispering amongst each other. This is nothing more than gossip to them. Gloss is in the year above us at school and at training, and is often the topic of their giggling, shrill conversation. I know they'll be desperate to know why he's volunteered instead of Ray. I keep my eyes fixed firmly ahead so that nobody speaks to me. I don't know what I'd say.

The District One escort, Tulsa, looks ecstatic as he watches Gloss climb the steps. I suppose my brother's what the Capitol wants from a tribute; tall and classically beautiful, not to mention brave enough to go into the Games voluntarily.

"Well, isn't he eager. How wonderful. We love seeing enthusiasm in our tributes," Tulsa says, beaming at Gloss, apparently unaware of the multiple stony faces surrounding him. "What's your name, dear?"

"Gloss. Gloss Montgomery." Gloss's voice is loud and clear. I'm glad. He keeps himself steady, a half smile fixed firmly in place on his face. I keep my eyes fixed on him so that if he looks at me I won't throw his confidence. He doesn't need to know how much I can't bear to see him there, not when I know he must have done it for me. That won't help him at all.

"Let's have a round of applause for our new, beautiful tributes. District One, I present to you, Ruby Chandler and Gloss Montgomery!"

The District breaks into the applause that is expected of them but it's half hearted at best. This isn't the way we do things. Ray had already been chosen to volunteer and nobody knows what to make of the boy that has, without explanation, taken his place. Gloss has broken one of the rules that keeps the District happy and successful. The fact we know who our tributes are in advance means the reaping isn't scary, and our high proportion of victors compared to the other Districts means we're often given the rewards that come with being the winning District of the Games. People will think Gloss has taken this from them. If he doesn't win he will be remembered with hatred. I suppress that thought. He will win. He has to.

I can't see Ray through the crowd of people that separate us. I hope he's keeping his face expressionless. He'll be furious with Gloss but he also understands the strategy of these Games. If he's going to get sponsors Gloss needs to make a good first impression. The cameras getting wind of the fact not everyone in out District is happy to see him wouldn't help him.

Tulsa instructs Gloss and Ruby to shake hands, clapping with excitement. He reminds me of a small child with a new toy.

Gloss raises his hand to Ruby but she doesn't lift her own to meet him and he's left with his hand out in the air between them. She gives him an icy smirk and he shrugs, shoving his hand into his pocket and rolling his eyes. She shouldn't have done that. She's probably trying to make him look bad but the audience loves a strong alliance in the career pack. Her rudeness will come off worse for her than for my brother. Nobody wants the career tributes fighting this early on.

"Very good, very good," Tulsa says in a transparent attempt to cover the awkward moment. I don't know how he manages to maintain this level of elation year after year. He's practically bouncing up and down. "Now, we just need to wait for the anthem and then we'll get you inside to say your goodbyes."

Tulsa places one hand on Gloss's shoulder and the other on Ruby's and they stand still as the anthem sounds. Gloss is taller than Tulsa and his relaxed stance and smile make him look impressive. I wish I knew what he was thinking. I'm sure he can't be feeling as confident as he looks.

I just feel numb.

The anthem finishes and two peacekeepers approach Gloss and Ruby. One of them grabs Gloss's arm and escorts him off the stage and towards the Justice Building. I'm never sure why they bother. District One tributes are volunteers. It's not like they're going to try to run away. I think the peacekeepers are probably only present at our reaping because we're on camera. It's a halfhearted attempt to make it look like all the Districts have a fair chance in the Games, as if it's not already obvious that our tributes are trained killers.

We are quickly dismissed once Gloss and Ruby have entered the Justice Building, and the crowd immediately starts to move, buzzing with speculation about what happened.

I force my way towards the stage, against the flow of the crowd. Nobody tries to talk to me and I'm glad, but they're not making it easy for me to get through either.

"Cash! This way!"

I look up at the shout and see Ray reaching his hand out towards me. I grab him and he pulls me through the people that separate us and starts to drag me through the crowd. Nobody wants to get in his way. They know this was supposed to be his day and are scared of his anger and intensive training. The masses of people part to give us a clear path.

"Are you okay?" Ray places a hand on each of my shoulders to look at me when we get out of the crowd. His eyes flicker to my forehead and I remember the bruise I'm sure is deep enough to be visible. I'm not sure whether that's what he's referring to when he asks how I am. It doesn't really matter what he's asking about. Nothing's okay.

I nod once and Ray looks at me for a moment before turning and striding towards the Justice Building. He reaches out for my hand again and I take it even though he's holding my fingers uncomfortably tightly. I can't do this by myself.

The peacekeeper by the Justice Building door doesn't bother asking who we've come to see. I suppose I look so much like Gloss that it's obvious. The man gives a grunt and jerks his head towards a door. He doesn't move to let us through so Ray opens it.

We find ourselves in a small, square room with flat wooden chairs lined up against the walls. Another door, through which I assume I'll find my brother, is guarded by a peacekeeper across the room. Diamante is sat on a chair next to the door, her large crystal eyes filled with a film of tears. She looks up when we come in and stands quickly.

"I thought it was your year," she says, staring at Ray, her voice cracking slightly.

To his credit, Ray doesn't shout, but his cheeks flush a dark red.

"So did I," he eventually says. He doesn't offer her any more of an explanation than this, and takes a seat on the opposite side of the room.

I know he's angry. He's chewing his lip and both his hands are clenched into fists. I want to help him. He's hurt and confused and he's just had the thing he's been waiting for his whole life taken away from him. But I don't know what I can say to him to make him feel better. I'm so scared for my brother that I don't think I could find the words to express anything else.

"I'm going in first," Diamante says. She holds her chin high, looking defiant, waiting for one of us to contradict her. "I'm his girlfriend. He'll want to see me most."

Ray laughs. It's a cruel sound and one I haven't heard from him before. I don't say anything. I don't like Diamante and I think she's probably the one Gloss will miss least of the three of us, but the events of the day have made me doubt how well I really know my brother, and I don't want to deprive him of the chance to say goodbye to his girl if that's what he wants.

"You can go in now, Miss," the peacekeeper by the door says. "He's got an hour for his goodbyes so you lot can figure out for yourselves how to split it."

Diamante smirks at me as she walks through the door and a sinking feeling goes through my stomach. I should have argued with her. I'm not sure I trust her to give me a chance to say goodbye.

I jump when we hear her shout as soon as she's through the door. From her stillness in here I assumed she was upset, but she's just as angry as Ray looks.

"What the _fuck _was that?" Her voice is frosty, biting.

I can't hear Gloss's response if he offers one, but Diamante lets out a small scream of fury.

"I don't understand why you've done this, Gloss. I thought…I thought we had something."

Ray laughs again and rolls his eyes. He never understood what Gloss was doing with Diamante in the first place. I want to sit and laugh with him about her behaviour like I normally would but it doesn't feel right.

"I could have been supportive. I could have…" Diamante's voice is shrill.

"Is Cashmere outside?" Gloss cuts across her. I think he must have been ignoring her before because we can clearly hear his words now even though he speaks quietly.

"I…yes. I told her you'd want to see me. You wanted me most, didn't you, Gloss? You want to say a proper goodbye."

"I'd like you to leave."

There is a pause. I'm surprised Gloss has dismissed her so quickly. I thought he probably wouldn't prioritise seeing her before leaving for the Capitol, but he would usually offer her more kindness than this.

"What?" Diamante's voice is wavering.

"I want you to go. Tell Cash to come in. This could be my last hour in District One and I don't want to spend it with you. I want my sister."

"You _bastard_."

There is a loud slapping sound and the peacekeeper warily takes a step towards the door. I doubt he'll bother intruding. Diamante's hardly going to hurt Gloss badly. She's not trained a day of her life.

"Fine. Fine. I'll get your sister. But you'll regret this, Gloss Montgomery. I won't be waiting for you if you come back." Diamante pauses but Gloss doesn't speak so she carries on. "We're done. Completely."

Gloss doesn't say anything else and after a moment Diamante bursts back through the door. She storms straight through the room, not acknowledging Ray or me. I don't know whether she knows we could hear what was going on, but she doesn't bother telling me Gloss asked for me.

I look over to Ray, hoping that he'll nod to tell me to go on through, but he's looking pointedly at the wall in front of him. I step through the door, closing it carefully behind me.

Gloss is sat in a squashy armchair in the middle of a huge sitting room. A fire blazes in a huge marble fireplace across the room and the floor is a thick red carpet. It's the grandest room I've ever set foot in and any other time I'd be excited to examine my surroundings but today I can only look at my brother.

"Gloss?" My voice is quieter than I mean it to be and I realise it's the first time I've spoken since arriving at the reaping.

Gloss looks up at my voice and immediately stands. His arms hang loosely at his sides, palms facing towards me in a somehow apologetic stance.

"Cash," he breathes. I find the sound of his voice reassuring and walk over towards his chair.

"Ray's outside…looking murderous." I sit down on the arm of the chair and Gloss sits back on the seat, pulling me onto his lap so I can curl towards him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"This was his last chance to volunteer," Gloss says. His voice is thick and I think he's probably trying not to think about Ray. "I'll explain everything when I get home. He'll understand."

I'm glad he said 'when' rather than 'if'. I don't know if he really is this confident that he can make it back but I really needed him to at least pretend to be.

"Do you not want to see him now? He's waiting to say goodbye."

Gloss shakes his head slowly. "I don't want to miss out on any time with you."

"Okay. I'm here," I say, and then take a deep breath. "Gloss, I wish you hadn't done this."

He looks up at me, pain flashing across his face. "It's my best shot at keeping you safe, Cash."

"And you think I don't want you to be safe? It isn't worth it. You shouldn't be doing this for me. _I'm _not worth it."

"Don't say that." He tightens his grip on me and it occurs to me that I'm not being fair. This must be much scarier for him than it is for me and he can't take back his decision to volunteer now. I shouldn't be trying to make him feel bad about it.

I swallow. "I just…I don't know what I'll do if you don't come back." I try not to let myself cry. He doesn't need to see that right now.

"I'll be back," he says firmly. "I promise."

We sit in silence, sharing the huge armchair and leaning against each other. I think my hair must be tickling his cheek but he doesn't move. I'm glad he decided he only wanted to see me. This time is precious. We don't need to say anything. His presence is enough.

Eventually, the peacekeeper from outside shouts through the door that we have five minutes. Suddenly I wish we'd said more.

I reach up and unclasp the necklace I always wear. It once belonged to our Mother but I've worn it since I was a baby. It's a thin silver chain with a teardrop pendant hanging from it, embedded with tiny fragments of orange glass. It's nothing precious but I've grown used to having it around my neck and it's a comfort to me.

I open Gloss's hand and press the necklace into it. "Will you take this with you? As your district token. I'd like that."

Gloss looks at the necklace. "Sure. I'll wear it."

We stand up and I fasten the necklace around his neck. I know it'll be strange for him to wear it but I want him to have something to remind him how much he's loved while he's in the arena. I'd imagine it's not always that easy to remember the people back home. He tucks it under his shirt and pulls me towards him for a final hug.

"You're a good person, Gloss," I whisper into his chest. "Too good for these games."

He doesn't say anything and I'm not completely sure he heard me. I cling more tightly to him, squeezing my arms around his back. I don't know how I'm going to be able to let go. When the peacekeeper tells me it's time to leave I hold on until Gloss gently pushes me away. I kiss his shoulder once where my head had been resting and turn to follow the peacekeeper out of the room, wishing we'd somehow said more than we did.

"Cash!" Gloss's cry out to me is desperate, pleading, and I will feel eternally grateful to the peacekeeper, who chooses to pause and hear what he has to say rather than forcing me to leave the room.

Gloss's eyes are wide. "Please don't let him hurt you. Don't…try to stay away from him. Find someone to get you away, or use your training…just please…"

The peacekeeper decides he's had enough, and firmly places a hand on my back to guide me out of the door. It's not the same door I came through on the way in, and it leads us straight outside. I can hear Gloss cursing behind me.

"Can you tell him I will?" I turn to the peacekeeper when we're out of the building. "Tell him I'll stay safe?"

"Sorry, love," the peacekeeper says, and he does genuinely look like he feels guilty. "Under strict instruction not to pass any messages to tributes."

I nod. It's not worth arguing with him. This isn't his decision. "Okay. Thanks anyway."

The peacekeeper nods at me and then turns around to head back into the building. I'm about to start walking away when I realise I'm not alone.

I draw in a sharp breath when I see my Father. His face is still flushed red from his morning's drinking, and the front of his shirt is stained with vomit. He's still drunk but the aggression has vanished from his eyes and he stands hunched over, looking smaller than I've ever seen him.

"Let's go home, Cashmere," he says, and for a moment I'm reminded of the way he used to be, when Mother was still alive and the four of us used to dance together in the evenings.

"She's not going with you."

I turn and see Ray walking towards us, a determined gleam in his eyes.

"What?"

"She's not sleeping in that house, not without Gloss," Ray says. He stands straight in front of Father, towering over him.

"She's my daughter. It's her home."

"Not right now it's not. She's going to stay with me until her brother gets back home. I'm not letting her set foot through that door. If you come near her I'll make you sorry."

"And how are you going to do that?"

Ray laughs and shakes his head as if Father was making an intentional joke. "Have you forgotten who I am? Don't forget I've just been deprived of the chance to kill trained tributes at the peak of their physical health. I won't think twice about breaking your neck."

Father doesn't even try to argue, but turns dejectedly away, shuffling down the road by himself without saying anything more.

It makes me pity him. He's going home to an empty house that used to be full of laughter. I open my mouth to call him back and tell him I'll go with him, but Ray puts his hand on my arm and shakes his head.

"I know it's hard for you but you can't go with him. You know it's not what Glo…what your brother would want. If you don't want to stay with me go to one of the girls from school, but don't go home."

I bite my lip. "I don't know where to go."

"So come home with me. I'll go with you to collect your stuff later on."

I want to argue but I suddenly feel completely drained by everything that's happened, and I know he's right that it's what Gloss would want me to do. I nod slowly and, for the second time today, take Ray's hand and let him lead me away.


	3. Chapter 3

Gloss:

I leave the Justice Building at the same time as Ruby. She doesn't look at me but consents to walk next to me, and I know we must make an intimidating pair for the cameras.

"I'll take them from here. Thankyou, darlings," Tulsa says, rushing over to us and gesturing for the peacekeepers to leave us.

The huge man next to me looks unimpressed, but turns away and allows Tulsa to wedge himself between Ruby and me and walk us to the train. We stop to pose for photos, Tulsa's arms around us, and wait for him to blow the cameras a few kisses before climbing onto the train.

I've never seen such luxury. We've always been led to believe that living in District One means we are the privileged few who get to experience the Capitol lifestyle. This is clearly not the case. We are just standing in the corridor and I can already see fabrics I don't recognise. Metals that in District One are reserved for the jewellery that adorns the necks and wrists of our richest citizens here cover the ceilings and frame the dozens of pictures on the walls, and this is just a train. I can't imagine what the Capitol must be like.

Tulsa shows us to our rooms. Ruby takes the room next door to mine. I suppose this is nice when the tributes get on, but I don't imagine we'll want to spend much time together on the journey.

"Dinner's in an hour, so I suggest you shower and find something to change into," Tulsa says. His face is flushed and I can almost feel the excitement radiating from him. "Everything in this room now belongs to you. You can do whatever you like but don't be late for dinner. The dining car is through the door at the end of the corridor."

He turns back the way we came from, leaving me standing next to Ruby. I wait for her to speak but she goes straight through to her room, slamming the door shut behind her. I follow her lead, going into my own room. It makes the corridor look shabby. The bed takes up more space than I have in my whole room at home, and the walls are lined with huge cupboards, all of which contain different clothes, books and games, much more than I can imagine needing for a journey that takes less than 24 hours. A huge television takes up the majority of one wall, and the wall beneath it is lined with buttons which must control it.

I open a door across the room and find a huge bathroom. We have a shower at home but this one looks much more complicated. I take off my shirt and jeans, leaving them on the floor, and climb into the shower. I press the biggest button and the water comes on. It's boiling hot and I jump out, finding a lever that I turn and managing to turn the temperature down. I'm too scared to try out any of the other buttons and wash quickly. I can't see a towel when I get out the shower, but as I step onto the mat on the floor a shudder rushes through me and the water covering me disappears.

There isn't a clock in my room but once I've dressed in a black T shirt and a pair of trousers I found in one of the cupboards I think it must be nearly time for dinner. Ruby's door is open and her room looks empty as I walk past so she must already be in the dining car.

I find Ruby sitting down next to Tulsa. There's a space next to her but I choose to sit on Tulsa's other side instead, thinking he's the safer option.

"Is everything okay in your room? Is there anything else you need?" Tulsa is only talking to me so I assume he's already had this conversation with Ruby.

"It's fine. Great, actually," I say, and he gives me a huge smile.

"Oh, I'm so glad. We're just going to wait for your mentors to join us and then we'll eat."

Tulsa turns to Ruby and they start to have some inane discussion about his hairdresser. I'm impressed that Ruby manages to keep pretending to be interested. I remember her from the training centre. All she cares about is the games, and by extension learning how to kill. I suppose she could be described as beautiful, but I doubt it's ever occurred to Ruby Chandler to think about hairdressing.

The door to the carriage opens and two of District One's past victors walk in. I recognise Velvet Sinclair, who won the games five years ago when she was just fifteen years old. She smiles at us both, a warm, genuine smile, and starts to walk towards the table. The other victor, Jet, stands by the door. He's a few years older than Velvet and is known for not caring about anyone. He has no family and so far as anyone in the District can see he also has no friends, but he's supposed to be a formidable mentor. His gaze is fixated on me and he looks irate.

"What were you _thinking_?" Jet's voice is a vicious snarl, and I can't help but remember how he tore two tributes apart with his bare hands after his weapons were stolen in his games. "Are you a _fucking imbecile_?"

I don't know why Jet is looking at me like he hates me. I open my mouth to ask what's going on but he doesn't give me time to speak.

"Did you struggle getting it into your thick skull that there is a _system _for choosing tributes in District One? Did you not understand that we don't allow just anyone to stand up there and decide to volunteer? There's a reason why our district has so many victors. It's because we choose the best, and only the best, to compete...and you thought you could just...just stroll in and do your own thing, did you?"

"I..."

"Don't try to defend yourself. We all saw what you did. I've been working with Ray for _months _to get him prepared for these games, to give our district another victor...and now I'm stuck mentoring you instead." Jet slams his fist into the wall behind him.

"I'm sorry," I say, although the more he shouts at me the more I decide I don't really care what he has to say.

"Well, sorry isn't going to get me a victor, is it?" Jet sits down and pours wine into his water glass, scowling at me. "You should have played by the rules like everyone else, kid."

Ruby is smirking and I look down at my empty plate. Velvet reaches across the table and pats my hand.

"That's enough, Jet," Velvet says. "I've been speaking to the trainers and they were all surprised Gloss didn't put himself forward to be tribute. He's up there with Ray as one of the best in the District."

"He still..."

"He stands as good a chance as anyone," Velvet says, cutting across Jet.

"You wouldn't be saying this if he was your tribute. You got one that followed the rules," Jet mutters.

"If this is really going to cause you problems we can swap tributes. I'm happy to mentor Gloss, and as long as Ruby doesn't mind the change you can take over her mentoring."

Both victors turn to face Ruby, who gives a slight incline of her head.

"Well," Tulsa says briskly. "That's that resolved. I'll let the gamemakers know there's been a switch in mentor, but I'm sure it won't lead to any problems, especially tributes from other districts sometimes have to _share _a mentor. Shall we eat?"

Dinner is delicious but the atmosphere's awkward. Jet refuses to say anything to me, despite Velvet's attempts to ease the tension, and Ruby seems deliberately unfriendly. Having heard Jet's views, I think I can understand why Ruby doesn't like me. She's worked hard for this and in her eyes I'm cheating and don't deserve the opportunity.

I eat as much as I can, wanting to try all the different dishes. I've never had food like this before and I want to make the most of it, whatever my fellow tribute thinks of me. Jet is speaking quietly to Ruby across the table, and Tulsa interrupts every so often with inane chatter. Velvet and I eat in silence, although I notice her watching me whenever I look up.

Velvet clears her throat as the desert plates are eventually cleared away.

"We should watch the recap of the reapings. We want to see who you're up against," she says.

"Try to remember as much as possible, especially from the later districts. The kids chosen will be scared and will show their real personalities. Nobody can act when they've just been reaped unless they're a career," Jet says. It's a clever point and I'm surprised. I always assumed he won with pure brutality, but he's clearly calculating as well.

"Are we going to ally with two and four? Does that mean we need to pay less attention to them?" Ruby directs her question to Jet, but it is Velvet that answers.

"Pay attention to everyone. It's too early to make assumptions."

We don't need to turn the television on. The recap is compulsory viewing for everyone in Panem, and that includes people on trains. The television comes to life on the relevant channel by itself. I sit down between Tulsa and Ruby on the sofa. Velvet and Jet take an armchair each and I wish I'd done that. I don't like being so close to somebody I know is waiting to kill me.

Tulsa is beside himself as the recap of the District One reapings begin, commenting on how beautiful everyone looks and how it's _so so exciting _to watch now that he knows exactly what is going to happen. I think he's ridiculous. He's lived through the reaping once and that should be enough for anyone.

The cameras zoom in on Cashmere for a second as Starlight's name is called. Perhaps they got the wrong person, or maybe just wanted a chance to show a pretty face in the crowd. The bruise on her forehead seems horribly noticeable, and Ruby looks at me curiously. I try not to let any emotion show on my face. I don't want Ruby to know anything more about me than she has to. I feel sure she'd find a way to use it against me. I watch the boys' reapings begin, and see the surprise ripple through the crowd when I volunteer.

Ray isn't shown on camera which isn't really surprising. The cameramen had no reason to think he'd be of interest, even if everybody else was expecting him to be this year's tribute. I'm glad I don't have to watch his reaction to my betrayal.

I sit up a little straighter as the District Two reapings begin. In all likelihood, these tributes will be our best allies in the arena, and I'm interested to see what they look like. As in every district, the female tribute is chosen first. A tiny girl's name is called but her place is immediately taken by a girl who looks almost as big as me. She is muscly and her hair is scraped back into a high ponytail. Behind her on the stage the previous year's victor, Enobaria, inclines her head slightly, looking pleased. Their escort introduces the girl as Burla Farrant and the crowd goes quiet to watch the reaping of the male tribute. Again, there is immediately a volunteer. An eighteen year old called Kade charges forward to take the place of the fourteen year old who was walking towards the stage, and he is met with huge applause. The male tribute from District Two is always popular but I get the impression from his district's reaction that he is more impressive than usual. He looks terrifying and I glance at Ruby to see her reaction to these tributes, but she has the same focussed expression as she did for Burla.

The District Three tributes are two fourteen year olds. They look forgettable and don't seem like a threat, although Velvet reminds us that it's too early to count anyone out completely.

District Four is the final career district, and I find myself hoping that one of their tributes is less than impressive. I've seen Ruby fight and I think we're probably fairly evenly matched, but the District Two tributes are always ruthlessly talented in battle and it is dangerous to be the weakest Career. When the inevitable break up of the Career Pack finally arrives, the weakest is turned on by the others.

The eighteen year old girl who stands up and volunteers from Four doesn't look like a standard Career Tribute. She is taller than average but still much smaller than Ruby or Burla from Two, and she doesn't have the enormous muscles usually associated with Careers. She looks athletic but I don't know how she'd survive close combat. The people around her look at her with obvious respect and I wonder whether this is due to her skill as a fighter or simply because she's pretty, with her sandy blonde hair and the freckles scattered over her cheeks. I don't know what to make of her, and Ruby looks sour. She was probably hoping to use her looks to win sponsors, but if this girl, Cara, can fight she'll be much more popular.

We watch a boy stand up and volunteer. Nothing about him stands out, but as he volunteered from a Career district I assume he'll be a fierce competitor. He seems to know Cara already, and she smiles warmly at him as they shake hands. I wonder if her obvious friendliness will disappear once we're in the arena.

I don't think either of the District Five tributes look threatening, but the district is known for being clever rather than strong, and it's possible they'll use their brains as weapons. District Six is pitiful. A tiny twelve year old girl screams for her Mother as peacekeepers drag her onto the stage, and the fourteen year old boy could easily be three years younger than he is.

Most of the other tributes don't make much of an impression. The boy from Eight looks confident as he kisses his district partner's cheek instead of shaking her hand, making her blush scarlet, but it could easily be an act. The two tributes from Ten seem to know each other already, and the commentator informs us that they're cousins. I wonder whether it's a coincidence, or if their family has offended the Capitol in some way. The girl looks terrified and I don't blame her. She must be half starved and I can't imagine her in a fight. The boy is a different story. He's massive, almost as big as Kade from Two, and it's obvious that even the escort is intimidated by him. He keeps his hand protectively on his cousin's shoulder and I can't stop thinking that both of them need to die so that I can get home to my sister.

In all likelihood, the tributes from Eleven and Twelve will all be dead in the Bloodbath. They're usually ill before they even get into the arena, and if they make it through the first day they can't get enough sponsors to get much further. I try to concentrate on their reapings anyway, remembering Velvet's advice, but I don't see anything that worries me. The boy from Twelve has a strange look in his eyes but I put it down to nerves.

The anthem sounds and the television turns off. The sun has set while we were watching the reapings, and without the light from the television the room seems dark.

"Well, that all seems as expected," Ruby says calmly. "The only volunteers were from Two and Four so we've not got any surprises to worry about, and I didn't see anyone who looked too dangerous."

"The boy from Ten looks like he'll be able to fight," I say, surprised that Ruby didn't mention him.

"Yes, but he'll be trying to defend his cousin so he won't be as focussed as either of you," Jet says, again displaying a level of intelligence I hadn't previously attributed to him. "And even if she dies early on and isn't there to keep him distracted he won't have allies as strong as yours so he'll be easy to take down."

"What do you think of the girl from Four?" Velvet speaks as though to both Ruby and me, but I feel like she wants to hear my answer.

"She doesn't look like much," Ruby says, sniffing slightly. "We'll see if she makes it into the Career Pack but if she does I don't imagine I'll struggle to take her down when the alliance ends."

"I don't know. She got a strange reaction from her District. I think she's good," I say. Ruby glares at me and I wonder whether she's ever been contradicted before.

"I think I'd agree with you, Gloss. There must be a reason why it's her that volunteered. Remember not to get complacent just because somebody's smaller than you," Velvet says. Ruby doesn't say anything and she's right not to. Velvet is of a similar build to Cara from Four, and she killed nine people in her own Games.

Tulsa squeals and is desperate to inform us that he has no idea how it suddenly got so late. He ushers us into our bedrooms and tells us we need to get a good night's sleep so that we look 'rested and beautiful' for the chariot rides tomorrow. I can't help but like Tulsa. He's hopelessly oblivious to the horrific nature of the Games but he seems to mean well and his persistent cheerfulness makes this whole thing easier to deal with.

I fall asleep thinking of home, wondering where Cashmere is and whether she's okay. Hopefully she hasn't gone home. I wish we'd discussed it more. If I'd known I was going to volunteer I would have made sure I could find somewhere for her to stay. I fiddle with the necklace she gave me and try not to worry. I think I can trust Ray to keep her safe until I get home...if I get home.

My dreams are full of faceless tributes, interspersed with Cashmere sobbing, curled up in a corner in the darkness. I don't feel rested when I wake up, and when the shower is freezing I don't bother trying to adjust it. I was so sure yesterday that volunteering was the right thing, but now that I've seen who I'm up against I can feel worry seeping through me. What will happen to Cashmere if I don't come back?

Tulsa knocks on the door, calling that I should start getting up if I want to have breakfast before we arrive in the Capitol. I rummage in the cupboards, sifting through elaborate shirts trying to find something comfortable to wear. Yesterday the wardrobe was full of jeans and jumpers, but apparently they want me to arrive in something more fashionable. I find some tight black trousers and a silvery shirt, and decide it'll have to do.

I arrive in the dining carriage before Ruby, and sit down next to Velvet. She pours coffee into my mug without asking whether I want it, and I think maybe she's noticed how tired I look. The table is weighed down with food again. I don't know what lots of the dishes are and end up taking a piece of toast because I'm unsure what anything else will taste like.

Ruby sits down and fills her plate with a bit of everything, acting like she knows exactly what she's doing. I think she's just pretending to be confident. I'm sure most of this food doesn't even exist in District One, so there's no way she could have tried it before.

"How are you both this morning?" Again, I feel sure Velvet is only really speaking to me.

"Alright. The beds are comfy." I feel stupid but I don't know what else to say.

"Are we going to discuss strategy?" Ruby looks pointedly at Velvet, as if demonstrating the irrelevance of Velvet's question.

"There isn't much to discuss," Velvet says calmly. "When we arrive you'll be surrounded by cameras and spectators. This can be an opportunity to gain sponsors but I think for now we should try to keep you both mysterious. When we see what your stylists have prepared for you we can work on giving you each an angle. Try to look nice for the cameras and you can wave, but don't give anything away."

"And after that?"

"You'll get in a car and take the short journey to the remake centre. District One is always a favourite for the stylists - they think they get more to work with with our tributes than most - so whatever they do to you we can trust that it will be good. Don't complain. They know what they're doing and it's in your interest to be on good terms with your stylist and prep team. They're one of your best chances to win sponsorship before you get into the arena."

I nod. Everything she says seems sensible and I'm glad she's going to mentor me. Although Jet has made some good points, I feel more relaxed with Velvet.

"Look," Velvet says, nodding to the window. "The Capitol."

I abandon my breakfast, standing up and walking over to the window. Ruby is by my side, and together we stare at the crowd. The first thing that strikes me is the colour. Everything is so vibrant - the buildings, the clothes, the people themselves - and I don't know where to look.

"Seriously? _These _are the people in charge of the country?" Ruby sounds scathing, and for the first time since the reaping I can picture what she might be like in different circumstances. I laugh and she gives me a small smile before shaking her head and walking back to the table.

I stay next to the window, waving at the crowds like Velvet said I could. People have always told me I'm attractive, and I'm not above trying to use my looks to get sponsors. If they like what they see today they might continue to support me in the arena, and I'm going to need all the support I can get.

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone reading. This is the last chapter I have ready (although I've drafted a few more and have planned the whole story). I'd be really interested to hear from those of you that have read the story so far whether you think it's worth me continuing. My main reason for uploading it here is to share it with interested readers so if you're not enjoying it I'll work on another project instead. I hope some of you have liked what I've written so far.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Goodness, I thought he was flawless when we first saw him but now he's astonishing."

"This is why I love working with District One."

"We should tell Ana not to change his hair too much. I'm amazed the colour's natural. He's almost golden."

"I think I'll ask my hairdresser to give me a similiar colour. I've been turquoise for almost a month now. I'm due a change."

"Oh, darling, that would be fabulous. Plus it's always good to look like we're supporting our tributes."

"We _are _supporting Gloss, Loretta. He's going to be phenomenal."

Quillius gives me what I'm sure he thinks is an encouraging smile, and I grin back. I've spent the last three hours listening to my prep team alternate between discussing my looks and their social lives, and think I have perfected the art of looking interested. Quillius checks his turquoise hair in the mirror in front of me, smiling at his reflection.

"I don't think there's anything more we need to do. I'll get Ana," Davina says. I like Davina. She has mostly stayed quiet while the others talked, and made sure to explain what she was doing to me.

I look at my reflection and am assured of the competency of my prep team. Although I still feel uncomfortable being completely naked in front of three people I have just met, I can tell that this isn't unusual in the Capitol, and I can't deny that the prep team's done a good job. My skin is smooth and soft with a light tan. They've somehow eradicated the shadows under my eyes, and my eyes themselves look bright. Quillius insisted that they shouldn't cut my hair, but they've washed it with three different lotions and it looks lighter than usual.

"Ana wants us to leave her with Gloss," Davina says, coming back into the room. "She'll call us if she needs us."

Quillius and Loretta look disappointed, and each kiss me on the cheek before leaving, insisting that I shouldn't be scared of my stylist. I don't know why they think I'll be scared. In five days I'll be fighting to kill 23 tributes if I want to stay alive. A Capitol fashion expert is hardly frightening.

A tall woman enters the room once my prep team have left. She is very pale, paler than I've seen anybody in District One, and has long, white hair that falls to her waist in gentle waves. Small triangles of mirror have been embedded into the skin on her forehead, and her eyes are huge.

"Gloss. I am Anadelpha, your stylist. You can call me Ana," she says. She looks at me critically, motioning for me to stand up. I stand and let her examine me.

"Yes. I'll be able to work with you," Ana eventually says, picking up a robe and passing it to me to wear. I wonder what would have happened if she hadn't been satisfied. Would I have had to change stylist? Or perhaps have needed to spend another three hours with my prep team?

Ana dresses me in a skin tight white unitard that covers me from my ankles to my neck. I'm not really sure where she's going with this. I'm in good fitness from training and it shows, so I guess the unitard looks better on me than it would on most people, but I can't see how it's going to make me look as dangerous as a Career needs to be. I remember Velvet telling me to trust my stylist and don't say anything, but I think Ana notices that I'm not feeling comfortable.

"Don't worry. I'm not nearly done yet," she says, winking at me. I'm not really sure if this is comforting but it's probably a good thing that she realised I wasn't happy with the current costume.

We take a break to have some lunch. I expect to go through to the Dining Room but Ana shakes her head, and instead we sit down as avoxes bring plates in for us. We eat warm bread with butter and cheese, and some red berries than Ana tells me are called strawberries. The food isn't as rich and we don't eat as much as we were given on the train. Ana says she doesn't want me to bloated for the chariot ride, and we will have a proper meal this evening. I tell her I don't mind. I prefer this food anyway.

After lunch Ana brings the prep team back in and they start to sponge a white shimmery powder over my skin and hair and clothing. Quillius glares at me whenever I move, and I don't know how long I stand there, trying to be completely still while the powder builds up on top of my skin. I can feel it on my face and it takes all of my self control not to reach up and wipe it away, but Velvet said I needed to cooperate and I'm not ready to disobey my mentor yet. After what feels like a very long time, Ana tells them that's enough powder, and they start to glue tiny clear stones over the powder. I watch them completely cover my arms and chest in the gemstones, and then close my eyes when they start to do my face. I thought the powder was heavy, but these stones stop me being able to properly move my muscles and I start to question Velvet's instruction.

"That's enough, I think," Ana says dreamily, circling me and waving at my prep team. "I'll finish him."

Loretta looks frustrated as they are dismissed for the second time, but none of them complain. They chatter to each other as they leave the room, and Ana looks bored while she waits for them.

"It won't be long now," Ana says, frowning at me and pushing a lock of hair back behind my ear. She picks up what looks like a paintbrush and instructs me to close my eyes. I can feel the tickle of the brush across my face and chest and again struggle not to move. Eventually Ana tells me I can look, and pushes me towards the mirror.

I immediately understand why Velvet told me to listen to my stylist. The creature looking back at me in the mirror is recognisably me, but somehow looks otherworldly. The boots I'm wearing have thick soles and add an extra few inches to my height. Usually I'd be self-conscious, but I know from memory that nobody's feet are visible on the chariots. Ana's chosen footwear with a function. I'll look taller and so more powerful.

The unitard looks more impressive now that it's encrusted with what look like tiny diamonds, and its tight fit shows off my fitness. I think some of the make up Ana painted on has added more definition to my muscles. I look stronger than I've ever seen myself, and the shiny powder that covers me beneath the diamonds gives me a kind of ethereal beauty. I don't think it would be difficult for the Capitol audience to imagine I must have hidden powers, and Ana's work is sure to help maximise my sponsorship. My whole body sparkles and shimmers silvery white, and the only visible colour is the deep brown of my eyes. Ana has done something to make my eyelashes darker, making my eyes stand out more than usual, and I'm glad she did. Too often stylists create masterpieces for the opening ceremony that accidentally lead to the tribute being even more forgettable than before they wore them due to the fact nobody recognises them without the costume.

"Thank you," I say. My voice cracks slightly because I've not spoken for a few hours, but Ana seems to understand that my gratitude is genuine. I want to hug her. She's given me as a good a chance as I could have hoped for at this early stage, but I think she might not appreciate me messing up her work before the parade.

"You're going to be unforgettable," she tells me with a smile.

We meet Ruby and her stylist by the door. Ruby's outfit matches mine but is red rather than white. Part of me is jealous. We'll both be memorable, but she's lucky that her costume so clearly goes with her name. Nobody is likely to forget who she is. I tell myself to stop being stupid. I'll be standing next to her tonight and we're from the same district. Hopefully anything that draws attention to her will also reflect on me.

Ana ushers us through the door and we find ourselves in a large enclosure. The chariots we'll be in tonight are lined up by a huge gate, with numbers painted on the floor next to them. The District One horses are a pure white and their heads are encrusted with the same stones that adorn my costume. I see Ruby scowl and allow myself to feel smug. Her name may have given her an advantage, but I'll look more like I belong in the chariot.

Ruby turns to her stylist. "You should have done me white as well if the horses were going to match _him_."

Her stylist tries to explain the reasoning behind her costume. He offers her the same ideas I'd had about how everyone who notices her won't struggle to remember her name. She shakes back her hair and stalks away from him towards the District Two tributes, who stand next to their chariot without their stylists. This leaves me in a difficult position. Now is as good an opportunity as any to meet the people who will be our allies. We need as much time as possible to try to evaluate their skills, and to show them that we're valuable people to have on their side. I would have copied Ruby and headed straight for District Two, who are usually the leaders of the pack, but I don't want to look like I'm following my district partner. I don't want anybody to get the impression that I'm the weaker of the District One tributes.

"Remember they're not your only allies," Ana says, turning me round to face the chariots behind District Two. She nudges me slightly and I start to walk in the direction she's pushed me in.

The District Four tributes stand very close together and I try to look confident as I approach them. Again, I'm grateful that Ana's my stylist. This was a good idea. If I start talking to District Four while Ruby's with District Two, it simply looks like we've decided to split up to cover more ground. Neither of us comes off looking weaker (unless Ruby's trying to portray me that way, which now that it occurs to me doesn't seem unlikely) and I might have the opportunity to form a stronger alliance with District Four than any of the others can.

"You're Gloss." The girl from District Four is watching me carefully. I thought she was pretty at the reapings, but her stylist has made her breathtaking. She's thin, and taller than average for a girl, although still smaller than Ruby or the girl from District Two. Her stylist has dressed her in a deep blue dress that floats down to the floor, and as she walks towards me the movement of the fabric creates the effect of water. She has pearls in her hair and shells and sand pressed onto the bare skin on her arms. She doesn't take her hand off the arm of the boy beside her, and I remember the way they seemed to know eachother at the reaping.

"Yes. Gloss Montgomery, District One," I say. I'm sure she knows what district I'm from if she remembers my name, but I don't want to acknowledge that she seems to have been paying more attention than I was.

"I'm Cara. Cara Cove," she says with a light smile. "This is Reef."

Reef nods to me but doesn't say anything. He's tall and looks stronger than he seemed at the reaping. I'm surprised that it looks like Cara's in control when she seems clearly to be the weaker of the two.

"Nice to meet you, Cara Cove," I say, grinning. I step closer to her, so that our arms are almost touching. "I guess we're going to get to know each other pretty well over the next few weeks."

I wink at her and she laughs but doesn't really seem to be affected by my closeness. I don't mind. It was worth a try. Lots of the girls back home lose their confidence when I'm so near them and it would have been useful if my flirting could distract Cara, but I wasn't assuming it would work. Reef is glaring at me, so I glare back.

"Maybe we will, maybe we won't. Shall we go and meet the others?" Cara doesn't wait for me to answer before she starts to walk towards the District Two chariot. I roll my eyes. I left Ruby so I didn't look like I was the weak one who had to follow the other Career tributes, and now the same thing is happening with Cara. Reef walks with her and I quickly take her other side, hoping that none of the others were watching.

Ruby waves us over impatiently. "Gloss, I thought you were coming with me."

"I wanted to meet District Four," I say, and receive a satisfying flash of annoyance from Ruby. I've undermined her in front of our new allies, and it's obvious she hates it. "This is Cara and Reef. I'm Gloss."

I hold out my hand to the boy from District Two.

"I'm Kade. This is Burla." Kade shakes my hand. His grip is uncomfortably tight but I don't let myself wince. Burla, the girl from his district, gives me a cold smile. I wonder what Ruby said about me before I arrived. It doesn't seem to have registered with Kade but I'm sure Burla's expression is too hostile not to have been triggered by something.

"And you're Ruby," Cara says, giving Ruby the same friendly smile she gave me. Ruby doesn't return it. She's almost as angry as she was on the train here, and I can see that none of this is going to plan for her. She expected to be here with Ray, having him follow her to meet the other Career tributes, and being able to introduce herself rather than be told who she was by a girl she'd just met. I almost feel sorry for her, but I'm enjoying her discomfort too much.

"How are you finding the Capitol, Reef?" Ruby smiles at Reef, leaning towards him. I think she's trying the same tactic I tried with Cara, but she's not had as much practice as I have and has even less success. Reef doesn't acknowledge her, and Cara smiles at him affectionately. Ruby scowls again and turns to talk to Burla.

"You two looked friendly at the reapings. Did you know each other before?" I ask Cara and Reef, partly to show Cara that she wasn't the only one paying attention to the other tributes, and partly because I'm genuinely curious.

"We grew up together in the victor's village," Cara says, leaning against Reef's arm. The top of her head doesn't reach his shoulder. "My Dad's a victor, and both of Reef's grandparents are too. We've known eachother since we were kids."

"Is that why you volunteered? Because of your families?" I direct the question to both of them but I'm only really interested in Cara's answer.

"Not exactly." Cara exchanges a look with Reef and I understand that I'm not going to get a clearer answer than that any time soon. I'd like to know why she volunteered. She's one of the smiliest people I've ever met. I can't imagine her killing anyone. There must be some reason why she felt like she should be a tribute. Then again, Ray's always been my best friend and I didn't used to think he'd be able to kill anyone, but he's been desperate to take part in the games since we were twelve. I swallow. I don't want to think about Ray.

"Can you lot see anyone else we might want in the alliance?" Ruby speaks loudly, obviously wanting us all to stop our conversations and pay attention to her. This seems like a last attempt to look like one of the leaders of the pack.

"No point thinking about it now," Kade says with a shrug. "We'll see them all in training tomorrow. We should wait until then to make any decisions."

Ruby lets out an audible hiss, and then a voice is coming through speakers in the ceiling, telling us to get into our chariots so and prepare for the procession. Ruby immediately leaves the group. I say goodbye to the others before following her. She's making herself look ridiculous with her temper and I want to make sure they don't think I'm like her.

"See you later, Gloss Montgomery," Cara says with a sparkling smile.

"I look forward to it." I follow Ruby to our chariot, climbing up beside her. There is a thin gold rail in front of us and I'm glad. I resolve to hold onto it tightly. Falling over now would not be a good idea.

Suddenly, Ana is beside me. I see Ruby's stylist next to her, giving her last minute instructions. Ana smiles encouragingly at me.

"You look wonderful, Gloss. They won't be able to keep their eyes off you." She drops her voice to a whisper, and I lean forward so I can hear her. "Your district partner's frustrated. It's making her look unfriendly. Smile and wave at everyone and it'll be you they support. Flirt with the crowd."

Ana draws back before I can say anything to her, and then the gates in front of us are opening and the chariot starts to move. The roar of the crowd is deafening, and I glance at Ruby to see how she reacts. Her face is expressionless and I turn back to the front of the chariot, waving at the crowds around me. I can hear people screaming my name and I wave to them, winking and blowing kisses in all directions. People are shouting for Ruby too, but I let myself believe (and I think that I'm right to do so) that there are more cheers for me.

The noise changes as people start to cheer for Kade and Burla as well, and I realise that we have another advantage. For a short time, we were the only tributes visible to the applauding fans. We had a moment which was undisturbed by anybody else. The thought brings another smile to my face and I continue to wave and smile, even though I know some of the people who had been cheering for me moments before have now moved on to other tributes.

It's obvious when the District Four chariot becomes visible because we can hear the sheer volume of support Cara already has, even though she's three carriages behind us. I don't mind. The sponsors she's picking up at this point will most likely be the ones that choose the most attractive girl each year and support them. They wouldn't have sponsored me, so I don't resent her getting their favour. We'll be allies in the arena anyway.

We do a final circuit around the square and I look up at the presidential mansion. I never thought I'd be here and I want to see everything I can. President Snow stands on the balcony outside the building looking down on us. I stare at him and our eyes briefly connect. His expression is cold and although his mouth is curved upwards I have no idea what he's thinking. I suppress a shudder and look away, blowing a kiss to a group of middle aged women in the crowd. The games have already started and I can't let my concentration falter.

When we arrive back at the training centre we are ushered into the lift without getting another chance to interact with the other tributes. Velvet doesn't ask us any questions. She seems to realise how tired we must be, and tells us we have half an hour to clean ourselves up before dinner.

My room in the training centre is enormous. I'm starting to see why Ray was so excited about coming to the Capitol. I never understood it before. I pull off the unitard and it falls to the ground in a cloud of white glitter and gemstones. It's going to take a long shower to get all the make up off.

The showers in the training centre are even more confusing than the ones on the train. I press a large button without really thinking and am coated in a thick blue goo. It fills my eyes and I struggle to see the button to turn the water on. When I find it the water is freezing but I don't know how to change the temperature so am forced to stand in the icy cold trying to scrape of the sticky blue liquid. It leaves my skin feeling raw but soft, and has at least helped to remove the shimmering powder from the chariot ride.

The wardrobe is filled with more clothes than anyone could reasonably wear even if they did have longer than a few days to live. I find some loose pyjama bottoms and a jumper. The fabrics are silky and warm and I decide that if I make it through this the first thing I'll do is buy Cashmere a new wardrobe. I find a selection of five different pairs of slippers and choose the plainest pair. I doubt Tulsa will be very impressed by what I've chosen to wear but I care more about being comfortable than meeting the Capitol standards of dress.

I pad down the corridor to the Dining Room and find that I am again the last person to enter the room. Ruby is sat down at the table next to Jet. She hasn't changed her costume and where in the chariot she looked beautiful and dangerous, now she just looks inhuman. I find her hard to look at and sit next to Tulsa, who ruffles my hair affectionately.

"You were fabulous," Tulsa gushes, brushing a tear away from his eye. "Just fabulous. District One is sure to have a victor this year. You should both be so proud."

He doesn't seem to realise that at least one of us is going to die, and somehow believes that he can reassure us. Ruby looks furious and I roll my eyes. She wanted to be here. Maybe it's not all going to plan for her but she has nobody to blame but herself.

"Did you get a chance to meet the other tributes?" Velvet watches me, not touching the food in front of her.

"Some of them. I like District Four."

"They're pathetic," Ruby says, her voice scathing. "District Two might be manageable but the whole lot of them are disappointing. I'm wondering whether it's even worth _having _allies."

"Don't be idiotic," Jet says calmly. "You have no survival skills. You're having allies."

Ruby stabs a potato viciously and doesn't respond. Velvet smiles at me.

"So you liked District Four?" Velvet smiles again and the tension in the room eases almost audibly.

"They're both relatives of victors. They knew each other at home. I think they seem nice," I say. Ruby mutters something under her breath but I ignore her.

"Be careful. If you instinctively trusted them more than Two you should go with it and put more effort in with them, but you need to watch out for people who knew each other before the Games. It's easy to forget that their alliance is stronger than yours and then you're putting yourself in danger," Velvet says.

"I won't forget. I just think I'd rather spend my time with them."

"That's good. Burla's not interested in you as an ally anyway," Ruby says.

"That doesn't surprise me. I don't know what you said to her about me but it obviously wasn't good."

"It was nothing but the truth. I just mentioned how you weren't the intended tribute and stabbed your best friend in the back to come here." Ruby smiles sweetly and under the red glitter from the chariot ride she looks terrifying.

I open my mouth to respond, but it is Jet that speaks.

"Grow up. You need this alliance to be as strong as possible until you've taken out most of the other tributes. Don't create conflict this early." Jet looks almost bored and Ruby looks like she might cry.

There is a knock at the door and one of the avoxes serving us dinner goes to answer it. I watch Ruby. She's biting hard on her lip and looks torn between crying and screaming. She seems insane. I want to get away from her as soon as possible in the arena but I can see the logic in what Jet said and know we'll need to be allied at least for a little while. It's not worth making extra enemies when we are still a minority of the tributes.

"I have a letter for Velvet Sinclair," a voice sounds at the door. I look up and see a man dressed in the same uniform as the avoxes that serve us. He can speak though, so I assume he is of a higher status.

The colour drains from Velvet's face as she reaches out to take the letter from the man. It is a thick envelope with her name elegantly scrawled across the front.

"I was asked to give it to you with this." The man plucks a white rose out of his pocket and drops it on to the table in front of Velvet. He doesn't wait to be dismissed and strides out of the room.

Jet has stood up and is next to Velvet in seconds, one hand placed reassuringly on her shoulder. It's a surprising action from him and doesn't fit in with anything I know about him.

"Open it, Vee. It's not going to go away."

Neither of our mentors pay Ruby and me any attention. Ruby deliberately drops her cutlery, making a resounding clanging sound but Velvet is frozen and doesn't look up, and Jet is watching her. He looks worried, maybe even scared, and I don't think I want to know what's in the envelope that is making them both act this way.

Eventually Velvet takes a deep breath and slides open the envelope, pulling out a thick piece of parchment. She reads it quietly and then stands up abruptly.

"Is it for tonight?" Jet's voice is quiet but dangerous.

Velvet shoves the letter into Jet's hands and squeezes her eyes tightly shut for a moment.

"You shouldn't go. I thought you were done with this. You said there wasn't anyone else they could use…" Jet pauses as he sees something in the letter, and then frowns. "He's not your responsibility. Nobody would blame you. In all likelihood he's going to die anyway. Just tell Snow you won't do it anymore."

"I can't." Velvet's voice trembles and I'm surprised somebody so dangerous can sound so scared.

"Tell him I'll do it instead. I'll go back to doing it if it means you don't have to." Jet sounds desperate.

"You will do nothing of the sort. Keep up the act and they'll never have to realise you care. Don't give them anything to use against you. It's too late for me."

Velvet walks away from Jet and around the table to me. She puts one hand on my cheek and gives me a smile. "Gloss, sweetheart, I'm going to have to go out this evening. I'm sorry. I wanted to talk to you about your strategy in training tomorrow, but I really do need to make this appointment."

"Oh…" I frown. She sounds calm but this doesn't feel right. I don't know what I can do to change the situation though, and Jet looks ready to kill someone so I figure I shouldn't cause any conflict. "Okay. Um, have a nice evening."

"I find that unlikely." Velvet laughs shakily and takes the coat an avox passes her. "I will see you both tomorrow."

We watch her walk towards the door. Jet's hands are clenched into fists and he is visibly shaking.

"You don't have to go. You said you weren't going to go," Jet bursts out just before Velvet walks through the door.

Velvet turns back and shakes her head at Jet. "You know how this works. I don't have a choice. It's sweet of you to care, though. Look after our tributes."

The door slams shut behind her and then I am left with Ruby and Jet.

"So, are you two, like, together?" Ruby asks Jet with a giggle. He looks at her fiercely and she has the sense to look apologetic.

"No…we are not, like, together," Jet spits out, sitting back down at his place at the head of the table.

"I'm sorry…I just thought, there seemed to be something more going on between you than…I'm sorry." Ruby really does look sorry, although it's hard to tell under all the make up she still wears. "I don't understand."

"If you make it through the games and whatever they decide to throw at you afterwards then you might be able to understand." Jet still looks shaken but he sounds kinder than usual. "There's not many people who know what it's like. Those of us who do learn to stick together."

We eat the rest of our meal in silence. It's the closest anyone from District One has come to telling us the games aren't a good thing. We are usually taught to see them as something glamorous. It's an honour to compete and a luxury to win. Jet's dejected speech tells a very different story.

After dinner Jet takes Ruby into another room to discuss strategy for tomorrow. Jet halfheartedly asks if I want to join them but I'm not very tempted by the offer. I suppose it would give Ruby a disadvantage if I knew some of the advice she'd been given but I don't particularly want to shut myself away in a room with two people that clearly hate me.

I ask Tulsa if he has any of the tapes from previous games, deciding that my best bet is to watch some of the victors of old games and try to figure out a strategy. Tulsa smiles and sends an avox to fetch the tapes.

"You're a good boy, Gloss. I have a good feeling about you," Tulsa says. It's hard to take him seriously with his ridiculous tattoos, but I'm glad for his kindness.

The avox brings me a huge box of tapes and I thank him, ignoring Tulsa's reproving look. I'm not going to be dismissive to people I know nothing about.

I pick out the video from last year. I remember watching it live with Cash. The girl who won, Enobaria, transformed into a monster in front of us all. I'm not sure it's sensible to watch this. I don't want to kill people the way she did. It was inhuman.

I put the tape into the television anyway and start to watch. Enobaria played a tactical game, making friends only to kill them in their sleep as soon as they trusted her. The career pack fell apart on the first day after the male District Two tribute killed himself. District Two is traditionally the leader and Enobaria killed both District One tributes without blinking after her district partner's death. She went on to tell other tributes that her allies had turned against her and each other and that she'd run away before seeing what had killed them. The games she played were manipulative and cruel, right up until the end when she leaned in as if to kiss the boy about to kill her and ended up ripping out his throat with her teeth.

The television doesn't switch itself off when the tape finishes, and I find myself watching some kind of chat show in which comedians are discussing this year's tributes. A man with bright yellow hair is talking animatedly about what he'd like to do to Cara if she makes it out. I hope she's not watching this. We all know we're now the entertainment of the Capitol but it's better to forget that this entertainment reaches beyond the games themselves.

A female comedian with long silver braids shows us a new 'Gloss doll' she's bought. The doll was released this morning (I don't know how they manage to manufacture these things so quickly. Yesterday not even _I _knew I'd be coming), and she is lamenting the fact that they haven't given it a voice, practicing different accents she could imagine me having. The host brings out a Cara doll and a Kade doll and sits all three of them together in the middle of the table. All the comedians are hysterical and I feel strangely hollow watching my plastic self sitting rigidly next to the much larger Kade doll.

At some point I must drift into sleep because when the slamming door wakes me up the television has switched to some kind of drama about two twins who are separated at birth and brought up in different districts. They meet again when they are both reaped for the Hunger Games.

I turn around when I hear the door and stand up to see Velvet. She looks surprised to see me and I almost feel embarrassed. Her eyes are red and she had deep scratches down her neck that look like they're from fingernails. Her dress is torn and her lower lip is bleeding. Her expression is similar to the one I've seen so many times on my sister.

"I'm fine," she says quietly, walking towards me.

I nod and sit back down. I don't know what else to say. She obviously doesn't want to tell me where she's been and it's not my place to ask. She sits down on the sofa next to me and I tentatively put an arm around her shoulder, remembering doing the same thing for Cashmere on the day of the reaping. Velvet's not much older than me, really. She was only fifteen when she won her games. I've been forgetting that.

She leans her face into my chest and takes deep, shuddering breaths. I pretend to be watching the television in an attempt to make her feel more at ease. The two sisters have agreed to be allies in the arena even though one of them is a trained career from Two and the other is a half starved girl from Twelve. There is some tension when they are both attracted to the boy from District Four, but he goes on to be killed in a flood and the girls find solace in each other's company. The show is ridiculous.

I gently kiss Velvet's hair and immediately feel stupid for doing it. I was forgetting that we don't really know each other. She doesn't say anything and I hope I've not made her feel uncomfortable. I feel stupid when she pulls away from me and wipes her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Gloss," she says. "I'm supposed to be the one looking after you."

I don't say anything. She somehow looks beautiful even though she's a mess. I've not thought about how beautiful she is before. I look away.

"You should go to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow. We can plan your training strategy at breakfast," Velvet says.

I nod and stand up, not looking back at her as I walk to my room. When I reach the door I hear her call out to me from the sofa.

"The thing is, Gloss, that even when you think you've won them the games aren't really over. Don't forget that."

I open the door to my room and crawl straight into bed, trying not to think too much about her words or her tears.


	5. Chapter 5

When I find Velvet at breakfast she doesn't acknowledge the fact that I saw her the night before. Jet is sitting next to her at the table, his hand rested protectively on her arm while he talks to Ruby in a low voice. Velvet smiles at me and pours me a glass of orange juice.

"Did you sleep well? Feeling ready for today?" She has a faint line of bruising around one eye but I assume she had one of the prep teams conceal the injuries I saw last night. I nod and sit down next to her, picking up the juice.

"I want to talk to you about how to behave in training. You said you liked the District Four tributes?" Velvet looks at me questioningly.

I nod again and she sighs. "Well, for now I'd say trust your instincts. You need to remember that there's only limited room for real friendships in the arena but if there's another career tribute you feel like you can trust that's no bad thing."

Ruby coughs pointedly and I glare at her. "You suggesting I trust you, princess?"

"I'll kill you the first chance I get," she says calmly. I laugh and she knocks over her coffee.

"What have I told you about watching your temper?" Jet looks frustrated. "You need to be calm and think things through or they'll kill you in the bloodbath."

Ruby looks like she's about to say anything but then picks up the toast she was eating and storms out of the room. Jet sits still until Velvet nudges him, and then he gets up and follows Ruby, not looking very happy about it.

"So I think if you want to ally with this girl Cara and her district partner you should train with them as much as possible," Velvet continues as if nothing has happened. "But make sure you don't forget about District Two. You want them to know who you are and respect you as an ally because if they feel like you're not really on their side you'll end up the first target when the pack starts to break up."

"Okay," I say. I'm trying to eat as much as possible, reasoning that this could well be one of my last chances to try all this food.

"Find out what the other careers are good at, especially paying attention to anything they might be deliberately holding back. You don't want to get into the arena and find out you completely underestimated the people who are supposed to be on your side. It's also probably worth watching the other tributes and trying to see whether any of them might make a good addition to the career pack. Even if you don't want them as allies it's worth seeing which of them might be dangerous."

"I'll do that."

"So that should keep you going well today. Show the other careers what you've got on the weapons stations but don't forget to have a look at the survival stations. If your supplies get destroyed or you get separated from the other career tributes early on you'll need to be able to look after yourself in the wild."

"Okay. Thanks. I'll try to remember."

Velvet looks at me sadly. "You should get going. Tulsa will show you the way to the training gym."

Tulsa rushes me out of the door, calling for Ruby to join us. He keeps one hand on each of our shoulders as we wait for the lift. I feel a bit silly being babysat like this. I'm sure we could find the way ourselves. I suppose they don't want to risk tributes trying to escape.

We are some of the first to arrive in the gym and make our way over to the District Two tributes. Kade nods at me and Burla pointedly ignores me. The girl from District Three is crying in the corner and Ruby hisses at her gleefully. Kade rolls his eyes and I decide I quite like him.

Cara arrives, pulling Reef behind her. She gives me a bright smile and briefly leans her head against my shoulder to say hello. She's warm and I find myself not wanting her to step away from me but she moves away and leans back into Reef. I wonder if there is more between them than just being friends but I don't think that can be the case. Cara has a ring on her left hand and Reef's hands are bare. Even without the ring I don't think they behave like a couple. They seem more like the way I am with Cash. The idea makes me sad. They've grown up as neighbours and treat each other as siblings but they can't both survive, and if I'm going to go home they both have to die.

Atala, the head trainer, starts to explain how training works once all of the tributes have arrived. Ruby and Burla snigger and whisper the whole time she speaks, obviously thinking her advice is below them. Presumably they are trying to intimidate the tributes from the outer districts who have had no training and won't know what to do. It seems to be working. Several of the tributes look ill and the girl from Three now looks like she might faint, but Ruby and Burla's behaviour seems childish and I'm glad when Cara shakes her head at them and tells them she wants to hear what Atala's saying.

When training begins Burla and Ruby immediately head towards the knife throwing station. Kade asks me if I want to try spear throwing so I go with him even though I'd rather be with Cara and Reef. I remember Velvet telling me to make sure I'm on good terms with District Two and this seems as good an opportunity as any.

Kade picks up a long spear and passes me a similar one. He throws it casually into the chest of a dummy on the other side of the room and yawns. I think he's trying to test me so I take a deep breath and throw my own spear. It lands in the neck of the same dummy he hit. I'm breathe out a sigh of relief. The spear isn't my weapon of choice and although I've had plenty of practice in the District One training centre, I don't always manage to throw with so much accuracy. I don't want Kade to think I'm weak.

"Not bad, District One," Kade says with a lazy grin. He throws several more spears. Each one lands on top of the one before, knocking it to the ground. I laugh as if I'd be able to do the same and stretch my arms, not wanting to try throwing again and risk revealing how much more capable he is than me.

"The girls look like they're doing okay," I say, nodding towards Ruby and Burla, who are throwing knives at lightning speed against the wall. Ruby's face is lit up with excitement and Burla laughs manically as she throws the knives. I wish they weren't getting along so well. They both seem unstable and I don't really want either of them as allies, let alone both.

"Your distract partner needs to get her act together," Kade says. He sounds bored. "She's not going to be in charge. She's weak. Look at her. She can only throw with her right arm so she's screwed if she gets injured, and she leans too far into her left leg when she stands so she won't be able to turn and run fast enough if somebody gets close without her realising. She's trying to be something she's not good enough to be. I wouldn't be surprised if she's the first one of us to go. Look at her. She's not thinking about the big picture."

I'm surprised by the coldness in his voice as he so casually analyses Ruby's weaknesses. He reminds me in some ways of Jet. He's ferocious and I can see that he'll be scary int he arena, but he's made into more of a threat because he really understands how the games work and will use this understanding to try to win. I'm glad he seems to have decided he trusts me. I wouldn't want him as an enemy. Not yet.

"I think she knows it'll be you in charge," I say, risking another spear throw and landing it in the stomach of another dummy.

"She better," Kade says, pushing his hair back. He looks tired. "I hope you don't think I'm being arrogant. I just want what's best for us as a team, and I think I'll be able to lead us well."

"Yeah, I know," I say, even though what he's saying does sound a lot like arrogance to me and I know full well that his decisions are not going to about what's best for the 'team' unless that happens to be what's best for him.

"Good. Maybe you'll be my second. You or District Four. We'll see what the training scores are."

I don't really know what to say to this and settle for watching the other tributes like Velvet told me to. Reef and Cara are sat at the camouflage station, talking intently as Cara swirls green paint over Reef's arm. She looks upset and I wish I knew what they were talking about. Kade follows my gaze and sighs.

"I wish they'd start playing the games like everyone else. I need to see what we've got to work with," he says.

"Let's go and get them," I say, partly because he's right that we need to see what they can do, and partly because I'm intrigued by Cara and want to spend some more time with her.

We go over to the camouflage station and Kade taps Reef on the shoulder, telling him to go with him to the archery station. Kade looks pointedly at me before they leave and I assume this means he wants me to let him know what Cara's like later on.

"How's it going?" Cara grabs my arm to pull herself up, leaving a green handprint on the bare skin. She doesn't apologise and I find that I don't mind.

"It's alright. Why haven't you been at the weapons yet?"

"Reef wanted to talk to me about something," Cara says with a shrug. "We can have a go at something now, though. What do you fight with?"

"Sword, usually," I say, looking around to check whether the sword fighting station is empty. The kids from District Five are there but that won't be a problem. If we don't scare them away by turning up they'll definitely be scared when they see us fight.

"Sure. I prefer long range weapons but let's go for the swords first." Cara takes my hand and pulls me over to the swords like she pulled Reef into the gym earlier.

The District Five tributes put down their swords when we approach but they hover near the station, maybe to see what we can do. I pick up a light sword that feels similar to the one I trained with at home and turn to face Cara. A trainer steps between us and tells us that we're not supposed to practice combat against each other. I look at Cara. She shrugs and faces another trainer instead, so I decide to practice with the trainer who told us off.

It feels good to be holding a sword. I'm reassured that I have a place in these games. The trainer doesn't fight like Ray but I try to imagine my best friend opposite me and can feel myself relax. Sword fighting is about patterns and I quickly recognise the trainer's style and am able to anticipate his moves.

We fight for a while and then Cara suggests we practice using the dummies instead. The dummies at this station have plastic organs that rupture when you damage them so that we can practice working out which wounds will be fatal. I swallow back my discomfort and try not to think about the fact that in a few days time I will be doing this to real people, instead chatting to Cara.

"So, did your district decide you'd be the one to volunteer?" I'm interested to hear her answer. It's no secret that District Two organise their reapings in the same way as us, choosing their tributes beforehand to make sure the strongest contenders end up in the arena. I've always assumed the same is true of District Four, but they don't have as many victors as the other two career districts so maybe something is different.

"Not exactly," Cara says. She doesn't expand.

"But you knew you were going to do it?"

"Yeah, I knew. I think it came as a surprise to some people but it felt like the right thing to do."

I pause, unsure whether to keep questioning her but wanting to learn more about her. "You're wearing a ring…?"

She smiles sadly up at me. "Yeah."

"Is it…?"

Cara shrugs and walks away from the swords towards the long range weapons. She picks up a stack of throwing stars and chucks them into the targets painted on the wall. She's good, easily as accurate as Kade is with his spears and able to throw faster than he can with his heavier weapons.

I follow her but don't bother picking up throwing stars for myself. We didn't have them in the District One training centre and I'd only embarrass myself if I tried to use them now.

"I'm sorry," I say. She throws another star and doesn't look at me. "I didn't mean to be intrusive. I'm just interested. You're pretty young to be wearing a ring like that."

"I'm also pretty young to be in here trying to kill other kids," Cara says quietly. I don't know what to say.

….

We spend two full days training. I spend most of my time with Cara and Reef. Reef is usually silent and I don't feel like I get to know him but he doesn't seem to dislike my company. Cara never loses her easy friendliness and I know we would have been good friends if we'd grown up in the same district. She teaches me some of the snares she learnt in her training back at home and I try to help her improve her technique with a sword. We are occasionally joined by Kade but I don't find his company as easy as Cara's.

I try to spend as little time as possible with Ruby and Burla. I know I should probably be trying to get to know them and get on better terms but it doesn't feel worth it. Neither of them like me and I'm fairly sure that if it comes down to it Cara, Kade and Reef will all fight with me.

On the final morning Kade insists on having a meeting for the career tributes before we finish off group training. We sit down in the huge net in the middle of the assault course, swaying gently. I can see other tributes heading over to the assault course to train but when they notice us they drift off to other stations. I lie down next to Cara and she pulls Reef down on her other side, holding his hand.

"So I think we're all agreed we're allies?" Kade looks at us all but doesn't leave us time to say if we don't agree. "Have any of you noticed anyone else we should ask to join? Can't say anyone's stood out to me."

"You're clearly an idiot then," Ruby scoffs. "Have you not _seen _District Ten? He's probably stronger than any of us and he fights with a _saw_. I want him with us, not against us."

Cara laughs and shakes her head.

Ruby spins round. "What, Blondie? Was something I said funny?"

"Good luck getting Geordie on side," Cara says. Ruby looks confused. Cara smirks slightly. "District Ten. He's called Geordie. Good luck getting him with us. Unless you're willing to take his cousin as well?"

We all turn to look at Geordie, who is at the edible plants station with his cousin. His arm is draped casually around her shoulders and as we watch he says something to her and she laughs.

"She doesn't stand a chance," Kade says.

"But we can still ask District Ten…Geordie," Ruby says. "He'll see that he'll be better placed with us."

"Go ahead. But don't cry to us when he embarrasses you," Cara says.

"He won't," Ruby says. She climbs carefully down from the assault course and walks purposefully towards the District Ten tributes.

"She's a fucking liability," Kade says. Burla looks at him reproachfully and he curls his arms around her waist, forcing her into a hug which makes her laugh through the scowl that never leaves her face. It's a mystery to me how he puts up with her, but Cara says it makes sense. Training in District Two is much more intense than in either of our Districts, and Kade and Burla will have spent a lot of time together.

It's strange, this tenuous friendship we've all somehow formed. This is our last day of training and in two days we have the interviews. In three days time we'll be up against each other in the arena. We've all gone quiet and I wonder whether the others are thinking the same thing. Cara reaches out and takes my hand as well as Reef's. I don't try to understand why she does it. I've given up trying to read her.

"Here she comes," Kade says quietly. He sounds amused. I turn and see Ruby striding back towards us. Her face is scarlet and she looks furious.

"Did it not go well?" Cara asks innocently as Ruby climbs back up to us. Ruby scowls at her and Cara giggles slightly.

"Looks like it's just going to be the six of us," Ruby says coolly, trying to hide how frustrated she is. "Never mind. We're the ones that have proper training. We're better off without him."

We eat lunch together, trying to continue the pattern of being overly loud and obviously good friends to scare the other tributes. I'm not sure there's much point. They're all scared of us by now anyway. Ruby is in a bad mood, snarling at the rest of us. I try not to show them my frustration. It's not worth looking weak. We somehow make it through the meal and queue up outside the gym again for our private training sessions.

Again, District One here have an advantage. We get to go in first, before the gamemakers are too distracted by their food and bored by the repetitive displays of incompetence. My name is called almost as soon as we arrive outside the gym so I also have no time to start feeling nervous.

I enter the gymnasium for the final time. It seems much bigger without all the other tributes. The gamemakers are sat in the balcony above me. An overweight man with a purple beard nods at me when i enter. "When you're ready, Mr Montgomery…"

I take a deep breath, trying to keep calm. I pick up a rope from the trapping section and start to work on one of the snares Cara taught me, setting it up above three dummies. When I'm ready, I stand a little way away, pull a string and the hanging net collapses around the dummies. I tug the string harder and it tightens around them. Without stepping closer, I pick up a spear, hoping I'll have the same accuracy I had when I practiced with Kade. I throw it and exhale slowly when it slides through two of the dummies at once, spilling fake, orange blood onto the floor. I pick up another spear and throw it into the third dummy. It hits its hip so to be on the safe side I throw another into its chest. I'd have preferred to get in a fatal hit on my first throw but this isn't bad.

I look up at the gamemakers. Most of them are watching me, some nodding approvingly. They have a table ladened with food in front of them and I know I'm lucky I got here before they got too hungry.

Nobody tells me to stop so I head over to the sword fighting station, picking up the same sword I used for training and nodding to two of the trainers at the station. One of them hesitates but I raise my eyebrows and they both come out to meet me. I fight them both at once, not missing a stroke of their blades. When my sword slices across them, striking areas that would seriously injure them if they weren't wearing their protective suits, they step back.

The man with the purple beard looks impressed and tells me I can go. I nod to him, unsure whether I should speak, and am ushered through a door on the other side of the gym. I'm pleased with what I achieved. It's a shame I didn't manage to kill all the dummies on my first try, but I think I did as well as I could have done.

I take the lift back up to the first floor by myself, wishing I could speak to Cashmere and tell her about everything.

…

Dinner is quiet. Now that training is over the games feel much closer than they did before. I don't know whether I want time to move faster or slower. In some ways I'd just like this whole thing to be over. I'll either win and go back to Cash, or won't be alive to care. It's the waiting that's horrible.

Ruby is telling Jet that she's pleased with how her private training session went. She's hardly touched her pudding. I don't know whether it's because she's nervous or because she's used to watching her figure in District One. I don't really care either way. I make a point of clearing my plate. Might as well eat as much as possible while I don't have to fight for it.

Velvet glances at the clock in the corner of the room. "Come on. Let's see the scores."

She squeezes my arm as we move over to the sofas. I think she's taken my silence as meaning that my private session didn't go well. I don't bother to correct her. I'm not sure how my performance will compare to the other careers so I don't see the point in talking about it just yet.

The television flickers to life and we see Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman in front of a live audience, alongside several ridiculously dressed Capitolians who have experiences that are somehow relevant to discussing our training scores. One of them is introduced as the creator of a reality television show that involves the contestants learning and performing a different skill each week and being voted off if they're not good enough. Another is a comedian who specialises in imagining what mutts might think of and say about people. I don't see how either of them will have anything enlightening to say about our scores.

I don't pay much attention to the brief conversation they have before moving on the the announcement of our scores. I've just realised my score will come first. That's probably for the best. They won't be comparing me to Kade, who's sure to outperform me.

"And now, ladies and gentleman, if I can have your attention," Caesar says in a low voice, as if what he's about to say will be a surprise. "We have something very special to talk to you about."

"Oh, for Panem's sake. Why all the suspense? Everyone knows he's giving the scores. That's why they're bothering to watch," Ruby says, her cheeks flushed red with irritation. I don't want to give her the satisfaction of making me laugh so I keep my eyes glued to the television screen. Jet lets out a low chuckle.

"It is time, of course, to get the insight into our fabulous tributes that we've been craving! We're about to give you…the TRAINING SCORES!' Caesar actually jumps to his feet with this announcement, raising his arms to meet the overwhelming applause from the audience.

As expected, my photo is the first to appear on the screen. I'm not actually sure when they took these photographs. I don't remember it happening. Maybe they take lots and then edit them until they're satisfied. I'm pleased with the image they've chosen. I'm looking straight at the camera with a half smile that's almost a smirk. I'm wearing the uniform they gave us for training but the zip is undone at the front to show my chest. I'm almost certain they've made my muscles look more defined but I'm not complaining. They've clearly chosen my angle for me - the good looking, slightly arrogant heartthrob - but it's the kind of angle that should get me generous sponsors.

Velvet places her hand over my wrist as the number appears, and then breathes an audible sigh of relief. A 9. It's probably the best I could have hoped for. District One Careers typically score an 8 or a 9. Ideally I'd have liked a 10 but that's usually the highest score given and I know Kade's likely to score higher than me.

Ruby hisses when her score of 8 is announced. She goes to storm out of the room but Jet restrains her.

"You have to know what you're up against."

Ruby sits back down and draws her legs up against her chest, scowling as we continue to watch the scores. As expected, Kade scores a 10. Velvet frowns but I'm not surprised. Like Ruby, Burla from District Two scores an 8. Ruby looks noticeably relieved. She's not going to be the lowest scoring career tribute.

The tributes from District Three score a 3 and a 4, making Ruby laugh cruelly. I feel strangely anxious as we move on to District Four.

Reef's face appears on the screen first. He isn't smiling and his arms are crossed tightly against his chest. He looks dark, brooding. I'm interested to see what his score will be. He hardly showed anything of his skill when we were training together.

"What?" Ruby's voice is quiet as the number 1 flashes across Reef's face. "How's that possible?"

The commentators are excited, cutting to footage from the District Four reaping and watching Reef stride slowly but confidently up to the stage and volunteer.

"Well, it looks like our male from District Four is staying mysterious," the reality show creator says. She props her face up on her hands, letting her talon like nails curl up towards her eyes.

"It does indeed. Oh, it's times like this that I wish the gamemakers would let us install cameras in the training centre. I'd love to see what he's hiding," Ceasar Flickerman says with a longing smile.

They continue to discuss Reef's shockingly low score for a few minutes.

"This is unheard of," Jet says, frowning. "There's no point in Career Tributes deliberately scoring low. Everyone knows they're trained. What's he hiding?"

"Did he say anything to either of you about this in training?" Velvet looks concerned.

"No. And he hardly showed us anything either. Maybe he can't do anything," Ruby smirks.

"Don't be ridiculous. He volunteered. He must have trained back in Four," I say, irritated by Ruby's constant willingness to assume people are incompetent.

"I don't know. You should ask your girlfriend," Ruby says, rolling her eyes.

It takes me a moment to realise she's talking about Cara. I choose not to reply. She's trying to annoy me.

"Well, I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say I'm excited to see what Mr Reef Fair does next. We'll have the interviews in two days' time to try to find out more about him. For now, let's move swiftly onwards to see how Reef's partner performed today," Ceasar says with a beam.

Cara's face lights up the screen. She's laughing in her picture, one hand tangled up in her blonde hair as she pushes it away from her face. Not for the first time, I think she doesn't look like she's going to be able to kill anyone. Then the number 10 appears across her face.

Ruby kicks the coffee table hard enough that one of its legs cracks. Jet doesn't bother to tell her off. I know I should feel worried. Two of the other careers have now outperformed me, and with Reef's score making his level of skill a mystery that puts me in the lower half of the career pack. Somehow I can't bring myself to mind. I'm pleased Cara's done well. She deserves it.

The television audience is pleased too, screaming and cheering for their golden girl as Ceasar tries to make them calm down.

The rest of the scores are unsurprising, averaging between 4 and 6. The boy from District Ten, Geordie, scores a 9 like me. That makes sense. He won't have had the training I've had but he's much bigger than me and that gives him an advantage.

When the District Twelve scores a finally announced (the boy gets a 5 and the girl a 3), Jet tells Ruby to go to bed. Tomorrow is for interview preparation and we'll have all day so she can get some sleep. Jet leaves the room behind Ruby, yawning and looking bored by everything.

"Your girl from District Four did well," Velvet says, tucking her legs up onto the sofa and leaning into me slightly, her head tilted back onto the cushion behind us.

"She's not my girl," I say.

"Of course. It looks like you chose the right person to make friends with, though. You'll need her on side if you end up having to fight Kade."

"I know. I think she'd take my side. And Kade will fight with me if Ruby tries to break the alliance too early."

"Yes. Watch out for that. She lets her emotions control her too much."

"I know. Kade noticed that too."

"He sounds like a smart boy. How are you feeling about the games?" Velvet's eyes are closed but I know she's waiting for me to answer.

"I don't know. I'm looking forward to them, I think. I've had enough of the waiting."

"I remember that feeling," Velvet says sleepily.

We sit in silence for a while, and then Velvet speaks again. "Why are you here, Gloss? Why did you volunteer? You still don't seem the type."

I take a deep breath. "For my sister."

Velvet doesn't say anything. She's waiting for me to explain. I don't really want to tell anyone about Cash but at the same time I feel like I want somebody to know my story. If I die I need someone outside my family to know that I didn't volunteer because I wanted to.

"She's a year younger than me, and she's wonderful. She's the kindest, most compassionate person I know, and she's beautiful," I say. "And, well, our Dad realises she's beautiful as well. And…"

I don't know how to finish the sentence. I've never said it out loud before. Ray figured it out for himself, and I've only ever spoken about it to him and to Cash.

"I'm sorry, Gloss," Velvet says, opening her eyes to look at me. Her expression is full of sadness. "So you're here to get her away from your Father."

"I need her out of that house. She can't keep being hurt like that. She just…she deserves so much more than the way her life is at the moment. She deserves to be happy. If I win this I can give her that."

Velvet nods slowly and reaches out to take my hand. I'm glad I told her. She's not asking for details. She's looking out for me, like a mentor should. I'm glad to be working with her rather than Jet.

Eventually, Velvet speaks again. "Gloss…if you could take her place, your sister's, I mean, and be hurt like that yourself so that she wouldn't be…would you do it?"

"I wouldn't hesitate," I say confidently.

Velvet nods. There's something strange in her expression. Relief tinged with sadness.

"Of course you wouldn't," she says softly. "Well, for what it's worth, I believe that you can win."

She looks devastated as she speaks, and I don't understand why.

We spend the next day in preparation for the interview. We have a day to work with our mentors and escort in which we plan what we're going to say and what our angle is going to be. The interviews aren't until tomorrow but we apparently need a full day with our stylists and prep teams to get ready for them. I spend the morning with Velvet. She seems conflicted about choosing my angle.

"I saw the photo they chose for your training score," she says anxiously, twisting her fingers around eachother. "It's obvious how they want me to portray you."

"Sexy?" I ask with a grin.

"Yes," Velvet says.

"I'm okay with that. People usually get sponsors for it."

"I know, and I don't doubt that it would work for you, I just…" She trails off.

"Well, I'll do what you tell me, but it seems like as good a plan as any."

"I just don't want you to make decisions now that you might regret if you win," Velvet says eventually. "It might give people ideas about you that you don't want."

"Oh," I say. "That's okay. I don't mind. I just want people to support me enough that I _can _win. I need to get home to Cashmere."

Velvet's expression clears and she gives a quick nod.

"That's true. We shouldn't be worrying about what happens after you win. We need to get you to the point where you're going to win first. Right. So, sexy. We need you to be likeable and flirty but also don't let them forget that you're going to kill people so you can get home. It's no good having them like you as a person if they don't think you stand a chance in the games."

"Okay."

"So smile, don't stop smiling unless you need to answer a question seriously. It's possible they'll ask you about your family, in which case you might want to drop the act and tell them how much you care about your sister. Don't mention your Father. If they know how important what you're fighting for is they might make you fight harder to get it. Their priority is entertaining the audience. Now, unless you're talking about your sister you need to be easygoing and attractive."

"I'll try my best," I say, unsure how to respond without sounding arrogant.

"I have no doubt that you'll succeed," Velvet says with a smile that looks a bit like she might be making fun of me. "Do you have a girlfriend at home?"

I'm taken aback by the question. "Um, I did, Diamante, but I don't know, she's quite cross with me at the moment. I'm pretty sure we're not together anymore. She didn't know I was going to volunteer, and then I wouldn't say goodbye to her."

"Don't mention her," Velvet says sharply. "Talk about girls. Talk about how much you love to look at girls, and dance with them. Mention that you've had girlfriends in the past. Don't give any indication that you might be with someone at the moment. For you to be desirable you have to seem attainable."

"Okay."

"Make sure that if you do end up talking about girls you like you make it clear that the women in District One are nothing on the women in the Capitol. They also might ask you about the other tributes. Don't say anything that commits you to anything that might affect your gameplay. The most you should say is that you're happy to have the allies you have and that you're feeling confident about your chances. If you think she'll handle it well you can wink at your District Four friend. The audience likes casual flirting between tributes."

"I'll try to remember all of that."

"Do. Now, let's try some practice questions."

Velvet moves from the sofa next to me to an armchair opposite and leans forward to talk to me, putting on a slight Capitol accent. I make sure I don't laugh. I know I should be taking this seriously. It's my last chance to bring in sponsors before the games begin.

"So tell me, Gloss, what were you thinking when you volunteered?"

"I was thinking…" I begin, and then hesitate. I don't want to tell them what I was thinking.

"Too slow. If you can't think of anything to say talk about how wonderful the Capitol is. They'll never question it, even if it's completely irrelevant, and you need to keep talking. You only have three minutes. Fill them," Velvets says. "So. What were you thinking when you were volunteered?" 

"I was looking forward to coming home again," I say with a grin. "As a victor."

"Good. So tell me, what's been your favourite thing about the Capitol?"

"The people. Everyone's so beautiful. Especially the women," I say with a wink.

"I see. Has anyone in particular caught your eye?"

I frown. I'm not sure what to say to that.

Velvet smiles. "Don't worry about it. They're unlikely to ask you something like that. It doesn't hold much interest for the audience unless you mention a relationship back home, and I don't want you doing that."

She continues questioning me for the rest of the morning and I find myself enjoying flirting and joking with her, even if she's only doing it as an act to help me prepare for the interviews. I wish I'd known her at home. She'd get on well with Cash. I can imagine her being a part of my life. Ray would probably fancy her.

Tulsa's supposed to work on stage presence and etiquette with me in the afternoon but he tells me I don't need it much. It's more there for the girls, who need to practice walking in shoes and skirts that are unlike anything they've worn before.

We practice winking until we're both laughing too hard to carry on, and then he teaches me a card game from the Capitol instead and gives me a drink. He says it's called brandy. I'm not sure how much I like it but I decide it's worth having all the experiences I can. It's very possible that soon I won't be having any experiences at all.

Velvet walks into the room without knocking and stands in the doorway, tapping her foot and glaring at Tulsa.

Tulsa looks up guiltily.

"Well?" Velvet looks frightening and I think back to the way she seemed in her own games, terrifying and untouchable.

"He was doing everything so fabulously," Tulsa says, beaming up at her without seeming to recognise her anger. "I thought we could finish up a bit early."

I nod. I don't want to cause conflict in my support team so I don't mention that Tulsa's finishing a 'bit early' involved stopping ten minutes into the session.

"Okay. He seems well suited to his angle anyway. It should all go well tomorrow. Come, both of you. It's time to eat."

Tulsa grins at me as we leave the room, stroking my cheek when he walks past. I'd usually feel uncomfortable having somebody do that but I know it's just the way he is. I'm glad he spent the afternoon playing cards with me. I feel more relaxed than I have done since arriving in the Capitol.


	6. Chapter 6

Velvet:

I hear the shower turn on and slowly sit up, fastening the remaining buttons on my dress. I wince as I stand. My legs have been strapped to the bed for the last hour and it hurts to move them now. I can feel the tears burning behind my eyes but I know that I can't let them fall until I'm out of here.

A whole wall of the room is made from mirror, and I look critically at myself. I've made my lower lip bleed by biting it so hard, and I rub away the blood that has crusted there. My dress is ruined but that's okay. I wouldn't want to wear it again after this anyway. I do my best to untangle my hair with my hands and lick my finger to wipe away the make up that has smeared under my eyes.

I'm not pleased with the way I look. Jet will be furious when he sees me. But it's not as bad as it could be, all things considered.

I glance at the opulent clock mounted above the fireplace. Gloss will be with his prep team for another three hours so I've got plenty of time to get back and get ready for interview night. Panem knows how they take so long to get him ready but right now I'm grateful for it. I pull my coat on, doing up the belt tightly around my waist, and slip into the uncomfortably high shoes I wore on the way here.

I hesitate at the door. Every part of me wants to get out of this house as quickly as possible, but I restrain myself. All of this was for nothing if I don't remind him of the deal. I sigh and squeeze my eyes shut for a moment before turning around and pushing open the door to the bathroom instead of the door that would take me home.

The man is in the shower, his skin a fleshy pink with the heat. The glass around the shower is steamed up but I can see the shape of his body, the rolls of fat around his arms pressed into his rotund stomach. I knock sharply on the glass and he reaches to turn off the water.

He opens the shower door. Water is dripping down his massive body and the thought of his sweaty skin slapping against my own makes me feel sick. I want to look away but I can't risk him voicing his displeasure to Snow so I smile sweetly.

"I should get going. My tribute will need me," I say, tilting my head as if I'm asking his permission to leave.

"Don't leave yet. We're having fun," he says, reaching a pudgy hand out and placing it on my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"I know," I say, swallowing as I reach up to stroke his face, trying not to grimace. "But I really do need to get back. My mentoring duties have to come first, and you did say you wouldn't keep me here too late. Now that you've pledged so much money to help Gloss you surely want me to do everything I can to bring him home."

"That I do. Maybe if he wins he can join us for a night. Well, you should be on your way then," he purrs, pulling me into him and pressing his body against me. I can feel the water from his shower seeping through my coat. "Use that money well. If you need any more you know where to find me and what to do to get it. I expect I'll see you again before you go back to District One."

"I look forward to it," I say, and step carefully away from him.

He slaps my bottom as I walk away but I don't react. I look straight ahead until I'm out of the bedroom. The avox by the front door looks sympathetic as he lets me out but I don't look him in the eye. I will never get used to the sympathy of avoxes. I run down the steps to where the car waits for me outside and finally breathe freely as we pull away from the house.

The front of my coat is still wet from his embrace. My whole body is sore and my tears are falling uncontrollably when I get back to the training centre. I stumble towards the lift and find myself face to face with Brutus, the mentor from District Two.

"Velvet," he acknowledges. He isn't surprised by my appearance, but I know that he's sympathetic. I'm not embarrassed to have him see me like this. He's a victor too. He understands.

At the sound of his voice I lapse into more powerful sobs, crossing my arms tightly, unable to get words out.

"Come on," Brutus says quietly. He puts one arm around my waist. I instinctively try to recoil but realise that it's impossible. He's much stronger than me, and he isn't trying to hurt me anyway. He lifts my legs with his other arm and carries me into the lift. Now that he's lifted me I can see that there's a thin trail of blood running down one of my thighs. If Brutus has noticed it he doesn't mention it. I press my face into his chest.

The lift only needs to stop once to reach my floor, and Brutus carries me out. Technically he's not allowed to be on another district's floor during the games, but I don't remind him of this and he doesn't seem to care.

"Jet?" Brutus shouts. I want him to be quieter. The tributes are in here somewhere getting ready for their interviews. "Jet! Get out here right now."

"What? Brutus, you shouldn't be…oh." Jet's voice is filled with the concern I so rarely hear from him. The concern he only ever feels for me.

I can hear Jet's footsteps coming closer, and then his hands reach for me. I press my face more firmly against Brutus, not wanting to move away from him, but Jet gently pulls me and Brutus sets me down on my feet.

"Oh, sweetheart," Jet says, cocooning me in his arms. He rocks me gently as he speaks to Brutus. "Thank you. Where was she?"

"I just ran into her downstairs. Thought it would be best to bring her straight to you."

"Did anyone else see?"

"Not that I know of. I thought she wasn't doing this anymore? There's not anyone who…well, you know."

"She's got herself a tribute she cares about too much. She's doing it for sponsors. I keep telling her to stop." Jet tightens his grip around me and I'm glad. He feels like home. He is home.

"Well let me know if there's ever anything I can do."

I hear Brutus walk away and the lift doors opening.

Jet carefully ushers me across the room and into his bedroom. He lifts me up and puts me down on his bed before climbing beneath the duvet to pull me back into his arms. He moves slowly, making sure he's not scaring me, but I think he knows he could never frighten me. I curl into his body and he rubs small circles into my back.

"I wish you'd stop doing this, Vee. You're scaring me," he says, kissing my hair. "You don't have to."

I know I don't have to. I haven't had to since the end of my victory tour, when I misunderstood how serious Snow was about my duties as a victor at the final party and came home to find my parents and older brother had died in what was described to me as a _tragic_ fire that _nobody could have predicted_. Snow has nobody he can use against me anymore. Except for my tributes.

"I need to get him home. He's a good kid, and these sponsors will help him get there," I say through my tears.

"Would he want you to do this for him? Really?"

I don't answer that. I'm not sure what the answer would be. I know that Gloss would be horrified if he knew what I was doing to try to help get him home. He wouldn't think his life is worth this. But him getting home means he's saving the sister he loves more than anybody in the world from a similar fate. I don't know what he'd choose. Or maybe I do know and just don't want to admit it.

"I know I can't stop you doing this," Jet says eventually. "But please try to look after yourself. When it comes down to it there's nothing you can do from out here that will guarantee that boy gets out of the arena. You shouldn't damage yourself trying. You're my family, Vee. I want to look after you and you're making it impossible. You're only twenty. You should be focussing on your own happiness."

"I'm sorry," I say, kissing his chest once.

I like it when he tells me I'm his family. People don't understand my relationship with Jet. They assume that if there isn't something romantic going on already it's only because we haven't realised our feelings yet. They don't understand that after going through what we've both been through we have no choice but to be this way. Jet worked hard to get me home the year I volunteered, and he was there for me through everything that happened after I won. He's my brother, more than a brother even, and he's my home.

"You don't need to be sorry. I just worry about you."

I close my eyes and let myself feel comforted by Jet's warmth. I clench one hand around the fabric of his shirt. I know he won't leave me but I feel better holding on to him.

It's not the first time I've fallen asleep in Jet's arms, but as he reminds me when he gently shakes me awake, it's not the best time either. We have an hour until we need to leave for the tribute interviews.

I stand up shakily and Jet helps me undress and climb into the shower, holding my arms to make sure I don't fall. I don't usually feel self conscious standing naked in front of him. He's seen me at my complete worst so there doesn't seem to be any point in hiding anything from him. But I hate seeing the hurt across his face when he notes the deep bruises around my waist.

He realises I'm finding it hard to lift my arms, so washes my hair for me, using the soft vanilla shampoo he knows is my favourite. I stand under the hot water for as long as possible, until Jet shakes his head and tells me it's time to go. He gives me three white pills to take for the pain. I usually try to avoid them, they make my head feel fuzzy, but I don't have time to deal with the pain tonight.

Anadelpha frowns at me when she comes into Jet's room to find me. I'm wrapped in a fluffy white towel. My hair's dry, thanks to the amazing dryers in the Capitol bathrooms, and hangs in soft waves down my back. Ana was my stylist when I was a tribute five years ago, and makes sure that no matter how busy she is with the tributes she finds time to get me dressed for big events.

"We only have twenty minutes. Put this on," she says, passing me a dress bag.

I unzip the bag and pull out a black velvet dress. Ana always dresses me in velvet for the interviews. She says it reminds the audience of my own interview and hopefully encourages them to draw comparisons between me and the current tributes.

I pull on the dress and Jet zips me up at the back.

"I should go and check on Ruby," he says, kissing me on the forehead. "You look beautiful."

I watch him leave the room as Ana starts to work on my make up. I feel guilty for leaving her with so little time to get me ready but I know that she'll manage. She dusts powder across my cheeks and spends a while painting concealer onto the bruise that is starting to show on my collar bone. She doesn't ask how I got the bruise. She never does.

Ana pushes me towards a mirror when she's finished and I smile the cold smile I'm known for here in the Capitol. The dress is a crushed black velvet bodice that clings to me, cinching in my waist and remaining tight over my hips before flaring out slightly to give me space to walk. A large slit up the side reveals more leg than I'd usually choose to have on show but I know that it's striking. Ana's given me dark lips and eyes, and my dark hair hangs loose in curls over my back. Ana passes me a chunky golden necklace and gold heeled shoes.

"The camera will love you," she says, the same words she offered me before my interview five years ago, when I stood here trembling in a dress of red velvet.

"Thankyou," I say, smiling her a real smile. "Now, I should find my tribute."

Gloss is dressed in a black suit with a black velvet bow tie that has been left undone around his neck. The top few studs of his shirt are undone to show some of his chest, and his trousers are tighter than boys in District One are used to, but will look good in the Capitol. I link my arm through his and can feel him shaking.

"Just remember what we talked about yesterday. You'll be wonderful," I say. He gives a sharp nod. I hope he does as well as he did when I was practicing with him. He's a natural at all this but his worry for his sister is distracting him.

We leave Gloss and Ruby in the queue with the other tributes. As an afterthought, I press my lips once against Gloss' cheek, leaving a deep purple lipstick stain. We might as well play the angle to full effect. He raises an eyebrow at me but I think it won't take him long to realise why I did it. He's a clever boy.

Jet takes my hand to lead us to our seats with the other mentors. We're sat with Brutus and Enobaria, who won last year's games. I'm unsure what to make of Enobaria. She hardly smiles, and even Brutus doesn't know whether she had her teeth done because she wanted to or because the Capitol requested it.

Brutus offers me a reassuring smile and pats my arm as I sit down. Jet nods to him and then drapes his arm across the back of my chair.

The applause when the tributes arrive on stage is deafening. A few of the mentors stand up to join in but Jet keeps his arm against me, making sure I don't join in. The Career mentors don't usually employ those kinds of tactics. We sit and smirk, knowing the superiority of our own tributes and not needing to scream about it.

As always, District One is the first to take the chair. Ruby sashays towards Caesar, kissing him full on the mouth before sitting down. I raise one eyebrow at Jet. He doesn't acknowledge me in case the cameras are focussing on him but I can see that his jaw is tense. This isn't what he coached her to do.

"So, Ruby, can you tell us a little about your plans for tomorrow?" Caesar leans towards her conspiratorially.

Ruby lets out a giggle that I'm sure is a sound she's never made before. "Well, Caesar, it won't be long before you'll all see what I'm capable of for yourselves. But I can tell you this, I don't show mercy."

She looks silly, trying to blend ruthless killer with flirty teenaged girl, but the Capitol audience doesn't seem to care. She's lucky that she's the first on stage tonight or her confused angle would make her forgettable.

"And we look forward to seeing it. What do you think of the competition this year?"

Ruby giggles again. "Oh, it's nothing to worry about. I'm sure I've got everything under control. I've got some allies to help me get through the early days and I feel completely confident that when it comes to it I'll be able to take them all down to get my crown."

Jet sighs deeply, an irritated sigh. I tilt my head against his shoulder. He always puts so much thought into training his tributes and they almost never listen. That's the problem with the career training in District One. It makes them all think they know it all. Gloss is unusual in his willingness to listen to my advice, and I think it's probably because he never planned to volunteer.

The buzzer signals the end of Ruby's three minutes and she's said nothing of substance. She stands up and blows a kiss to the audience and beams as she makes her way back to her seat. I wish Gloss didn't have to ally with her. She has no idea what she's doing.

The audience clearly loves Gloss before he's even sat down. He's by far the most attractive male tribute this year and his easy smile and high training score have made him popular with the crowd. He gives the audience a salute as he sits down next to Caesar, lounging back with one arm draped over the back of the chair. He looks relaxed.

"Well, I think we can take from that welcome that a lot of people are very excited to see you here tonight, Mr Montgomery," Caesar says. Gloss laughs and shrugs. "Tell me, what have you thought of the Capitol so far?"

"It's more than I could have hoped," Gloss says earnestly. "Everything is incredible, it's a constant assault of beauty on the senses. And the people are wonderful. Especially the women." He grins and Caesar laughs.

"Oh, the women, what wouldn't we give to be surrounded by them forever."

"They're all so beautiful, like nothing I've ever seen before. I look forward to spending some more time with them when I get back," Gloss says, winking at the crowd.

I swallow. I know he's doing what I told him but I also know that there are more than a few women in that crowd who will pay good money to spend more time with him if he gets back. I hate that by following my advice he's offered himself up for the cruel way so many victors are treated. Not for the first time, I wonder whether I should have told him what will happen if he wins. I let myself believe that he'd still want to do it, to save his sister, but I should have let him make that choice for himself. I feel like it's too late now.

"And is there a special lady waiting for you back home?" Caesar asks in a stage whisper.

"I expect there are several ladies waiting for me, but none that I'd call special," Gloss says with a cocky grin, then looks slightly more serious. "Only my sister."

"Your sister," Caesar says. "Of course."

The screen behind the tributes lights up with footage from the District One reaping, zooming in on the devastated face of a girl who is clearly Cashmere. She has the same golden hair as Gloss, swirling down to her elbows, and the same dark eyes. She's astonishingly beautiful and several audience members sigh.

"I love her more than anything," Gloss says seriously.

"And I expect you're going to make sure you get home to her," Caesar says.

"Of course." Gloss's arrogant smirk returns and I'm glad. He's given them a moment of poignancy without breaking the angle we chose for him.

"Now, I asked your lovely district partner this but I'm going to ask you as well. What do you think of the competition this year?"

"It's pretty much what I was expecting," Gloss says thoughtfully. "I've not seen anything from the other tributes that's made me worried, and I'm lucky to have the allies I've got. Kade's a great guy and a strong ally, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the rest of them a bit better in the games."

Gloss winks at Cara and she laughs and blows him a kiss that draws out a loud cheer from the audience. She's dressed in a floaty blue, sheer dress that matches her eyes and the cameras zoom in on her for longer than they needed to to capture her reaction. She's realised this, though, and continues to watch Gloss, smiling at him as though she's known him forever.

"We look forward to it too," Caesar says with an enthusiastic nod. "From what we've seen so far you're all going to make a formidable team."

The buzzer sounds and Caesar groans. "Well, Mr Montgomery, we'd love to hear more from you but I'm afraid our time has been cruelly cut short. Ladies and Gentleman, MR GLOSS MONTGOMERY!"

The cheer for Gloss is much louder than Ruby's cheer was and I let myself smile. He's done brilliantly, seeming human but not letting them forget he's a career.

The interviews with the tributes from District Two don't include anything surprising. They both seem terrifying - Burla actually bares her teeth at the district five girl - and nobody doubts that their physical abilities match their words. District Three try their best but nobody's under any delusions that they stand a chance.

I sit up a little straighter to watch District Four, knowing that Gloss thinks these are his main allies. Cara is smiling as she takes Caesar's hand and sits down. Her stylist has done well. She looks beautiful but strong, feminine but not vulnerable. She doesn't stop smiling and I wonder whether she really is as friendly as she seems or is just an incredibly good actor.

Caesar asks her the same question about what she thinks of the competition. She frowns a little, and then her expression clears back into her friendly smile.

"Oh, it's going well, I think," she says. She's not exactly answering the question but she looks so sweet as she speaks that Caesar doesn't stop her. "I love spending the extra time with Reef. We grew up together in the victor's village back in Four, so it's good to be here with him now. And I've really enjoyed getting to know Gloss and the rest of our allies. Training's been good fun."

She beams at Gloss, and again their faces appear on the screen next to eachother. The audience is clearly enjoying this friendship between two districts, and I hope they make sure to maintain it when the games begin.

"Now, this may be a personal question, but it seemed that not everybody was happy to see you volunteer at the reaping," Caesar says.

This is definitely a personal question and I'm impressed that Cara doesn't drop her smile except to give Caesar a questioning glance. I'm curious, though. From what I remember of the reaping in District Four, everyone seemed to respect Cara, nodding their approval as she walked forward to volunteer.

Footage from the reaping is brought up on the screen, like it was for Gloss, and the camera zooms in on a tall, good looking boy in the eighteen year olds section. He has tears in his eyes as he watches Cara walk forward, and shouts at her to stop. She doesn't look back at him which is probably why nobody picked up on it on the day. It's unkind of Caesar to bring it up now.

"Ah," Cara says softly.

"Could you let us know the story behind this?" Caesar sounds sympathetic, but if he really cared he wouldn't have asked her about it.

A few places along from me, Mags is leaning forward in her seat, fingernails pressed into her cheeks as she waits for her tribute to answer. Whatever's going on here, it's clearly important to Cara and is going to affect the way she plays the game.

"That's Felix," Cara says, and for the first time she isn't smiling. "He didn't think I should volunteer."

Caesar waits for her to say more but she smiles again and reaches out to touch his aquamarine hair. "Now, Caesar, I have to say I approve of your colour choice this year. We match."

She gestures to her dress and stands up, pulling Caesar's hand to get him to stand with her. I know that Caesar will be disappointed not to have heard more about this Felix, but he accepts the change of conversation topic, and starts to joke that after seeing how beautiful she looked at the reaping he was immediately on the phone to her stylist to make sure they would be colour co-ordinated at the interview.

Cara laughs with him and shakes her head. "Well, Caesar, I'll make sure to wear the same colour to my victory interview. I wouldn't want all your forethought to go to waste."

The audience laughs as the buzzer sounds. Mags looks relieved and I am impressed by this laughing girl who manages to seem so light and cheerful even as she prepares to kill.

Reef comes to the stage next and I get ready to concentrate on his interview. Caesar asks him similiar questions but he doesn't say anything at all. He just sits there in total silence. When the buzzer sounds he strides back to his seat without acknowledge the audience and ignores Cara when she squeezes his hand. I don't know what to make of him.

The rest of the interviews are unsurprising and unimpressive.

I make sure to be in the same car as Gloss on the way home, and we are joined by Mags and Cara. Cara happily sits down next to Gloss, leaning against him with her eyes closed. He puts an arm around her without seeming to think about it and leans his head onto hers. Mags looks at me, her eyes full of concern, but we don't talk about it. We both know it's dangerous for our tributes to get too close to eachother. They can't both survive. But there's no point discussing it now.

When we finally step out of the lift onto our floor at the training centre, I turn to Gloss. He looks nervous and runs a hand through his hair.

"I won't see you tomorrow," I say. "You'll be with Anadelpha on your way to the arena."

"Okay," Gloss says. His voice sounds strained.

"You'll be amazing. I really think you can win this."

"Thanks."

"Really, Gloss, I do. You did brilliantly tonight."

"Velvet, if I don't come back…"

I press a finger to his lips, frowning at him. "Don't talk like that. Think like a victor."

"I want you to know I'm grateful for everything you've done. If I don't win this it's not because of you."

I'm glad he's said it. I've done more for him than he knows but I know if he doesn't make it through this I'll feel like it's my fault. It's good to know that he doesn't blame me, even though it won't stop me from blaming myself.

"I look forward to seeing you when you come back," I say. He grins at me and reaches out to hug me. I let myself be enveloped in his arms and breathe him in. It's stupid of me to get so attached but I've never had a tribute like him. I don't let myself cry or look nervous. He needs me to be strong for him.

"It's been great getting to know you, Velvet. Thankyou for everything. Say thanks to Jet and Tulsa as well," Gloss says, pulling away from me.

I want to follow him into his room, to make sure he's okay and to be there for him if he's not. I'm also horribly aware that this is the last chance I'll have to warn him of the consequences of winning. I say nothing. I smile at him as he closes the door to his bedroom and then I turn away, fully aware that I'm a coward.

I sleep in Jet's bed. There's no point trying to get to sleep by myself the night before the games, and I know he needs my company just as much as I need his. We lie, tangled up in eachother's arms, pretending we don't realise that the other is lying awake. I don't know what I'd do without him.

When morning comes, I dress quickly in my favourite jeans and a large jumper I take from Jet's wardrobe. I don't know how long it'll be before I take a break from the control room so I might as well be comfortable.

Jet makes us both breakfast and we choose to bring it with us rather than delaying the inevitable.

Our station in the control room is next to the door. We sit down in adjacent cubicles, lowering the blind that we can raise between us. There's no point keeping secrets from eachother while our tributes are allied. I turn on the screen in front of me, smiling at the large quantity of money in Gloss's sponsorship account. He has more than double what Ruby has, and I sneak a glance at the District Two screens to see that he's been given even more than Kade. I'd imagine Cara has at least as much as Gloss does, but nobody else will be as well supported at this stage in the games.

We wait until the screens come to life, showing us the arena before it is available to the rest of the world. It gives us a chance to think about what sponsorship gifts will be most useful.

The cornucopia is situated in the middle of a small island, surrounded by a moat that is about 100 metres wide. A single stretch of land joins the island to the rest of the arena. This means that the tributes who want to run will first have to reach this bridge. Unless they're lucky enough to be standing right next to this strip of land they will struggle to escape from the bloodbath.

The gamemakers clearly want to make this year's bloodbath a brutal one, and I'm glad I work for a career district.

Beyond the moat there is a forest. It'll be a good place to hide and also a good food source if Gloss's sponsorship money somehow runs out. The cameras swoop through the trees to show us caves and animal lairs before zooming out again to reveal large river that acts as another moat, separating this forest from the final circle of the arena. This outer ring is an idyllic looking field, filled with wildlife and flowers. I doubt many tributes will be able to reach it to see what it's like. Hardly any districts are able to swim, District One included.

The camera brings us back to watch the tributes being raised up around the cornucopia. I'm unsurprised to see that Kade and Burla, the tributes from District Two, have been positioned next to the strip of land that leads away from the cornucopia. They'll be well placed to cut down tributes that try to escape, which makes good television. Ruby stands between the girl from eight and the boy from five. She sneers at them, and the girl from five visibly gulps.

I follow the camera around the circle, feeling relieved when I see Cara two people to Gloss's left. The girl from District Three stands between them, sobbing. Cara gives Gloss a warm smile and plays with the ring on her hand. She doesn't look like she's about to start killing people but I remember her 10 in training and know not to underestimate her.

Gloss looks calm and is concentrating on his surroundings. He seems to know what he's doing and I'm glad he's not panicking. The countdown is getting close to zero, and I see him brace himself to run.

10

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5

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3

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1

Let the games begin.

**A/N: I really enjoyed writing in Velvet's voice, hope you like it and next chapter we'll be back to Gloss. I'd be interested to hear if you think the rating is right for this story. I'm reluctant to change it to M because this is about as bad as explicit as it's going to get and I don't want to put people off reading by giving it a higher rating than it needs, but if anyone would prefer the rating to go up let me know. Always keen to get feedback. Thanks so much to Alexandria Forever 21 and the catclouder for the reviews.**


	7. Chapter 7

Gloss:

With five seconds left of the countdown Cara nods to me, her easy smile still fixed firmly to her face. The cannon fires, and we run together to the cornucopia.

The girl who'd been standing between us, who I think is from District Three, doesn't move. She's frozen with fear, shuddering and chalky white.

Cara rummages in the pile of weapons in the cornucopia, throwing me two spears and a sword and picking up a packet of throwing stars and a knife for herself. We only need to be concerned about weapons for now. After the bloodbath most of the other supplies will still be here so we can worry about them then. We'll have everything we need to spend the next few days in reasonable comfort.

Cara looks back at the District Three girl, who is shaking on her pedestal, and sighs. She flicks her wrist and the throwing star is embedded in the girl's neck. The girl's eyes widen in surprise before she collapses to the floor.

I stare at Cara. I knew she must be capable of killing. Her training score would have made it clear even if I didn't know her Mother was a victor, but the easiness with which she ended that girl's life still surprises me. She doesn't even seem affected by what she's done, frowning slightly when she sees me watching her.

"Stop staring. Cover me," Cara says, turning around to meet the boy from District Eleven.

I stand back to back with Cara, drawing my sword. I'm glad to have her fighting beside me.

Both tributes from District Five have run towards the cornucopia, trying to pick up packs. I throw a spear into the chest of the boy. He falls on his front, driving the spear further into his heart. I throw my other spear towards the girl but can't stop looking at the young boy who's death was because of me. It throws my aim. My spear catches the girl's arm, making it dangle uselessly by her side, but she continues to run and I see her reach the other side of the moat in safety.

I look around, horrified by the things that surround me. Like Cara and I, Ruby and Burla are fighting back to back, both of them throwing knives. I can see Kade standing at the strip of land that leads to safety, fighting by himself but not needing anybody to help him. As I watch, he cuts down the girl from District Six, slitting her throat so deeply that her head wobbles on her neck.

"Concentrate, Gloss. Come on," Cara says, passing me another spear.

I throw it at the girl approaching me. She's the girl from District Ten, the one with the strong cousin. My spear catches her hip and she falters, staring at the blood. I lift my sword, ready to run towards her and finish her, but her cousin grabs her and lifts her up, running with her towards Kade. I know that if I help Kade we'll be able to take them down but somehow I can't bring myself to follow them. Geordie holds his own blade to meet Kade's, managing to get past him, and I watch him carry his cousin to safety.

I turn around to see if Cara saw me fail to kill the girl. She's not watching. She is locked into some kind of embrace with Reef, her lips against his. Neither of them sees me looking. I don't know what to make of it. They've not given any indication before now that they're together, and I didn't expect that to change now that we're in the games..

Part of me is worried about my status within the alliance. If Cara and Reef are together they won't be fighting with me when the pack breaks up. I remember what Velvet said about being careful to recognise when people are in a stronger alliance with each other than they are with me.

Another part of me wants them to stop because I need them to keep killing. The more tributes are struck down today, the less we need to hunt down later, and the closer I'll be to getting home.

The fighting is still going on around them but they are kissing as if they're completely alone.

Slowly, Reef slides to the ground, and I see Cara's knife buried into his stomach beneath his ribs.

I don't understand.

Does she not want the alliance anymore? Her and Reef seemed to be such close friends during training, but she just killed him. It's too early to break off the career alliance. Most of the tributes are still alive. I just don't understand why she'd kill Reef…unless it's a calculated move. From what I can see, there's a lot of water in this arena, meaning District Four is going to have a distinct advantage. Now that Reef is dead, Cara will be the only one to benefit from growing up around water.

I watch Cara bend down to quickly kiss Reef's forehead and close his eyes, and then I'm distracted by a flash of movement.

The boy from District Eight has grabbed a weapon and is starting to run past me towards the bridge that would get him over the moat. I hold tightly onto my sword and get in front of him, lifting the blade towards him. He blocks it with the mace he is carrying and we start to fight.

I try to sink back into the rhythm of fighting I am used to, trying to get a feel for his pattern and anticipate his strokes, but my eyes keep flicking back to Cara. She is standing fighting with the girl from twelve, who has somehow gotten hold of a knife. The body of the boy from District Eleven is at Cara's feet next to Reef. She still looks beautiful as she fights, but I'm scared. I'm scared of not knowing what she's thinking. I'd been assuming I could trust her but now I'm not sure. Presumably Reef thought he could trust her too.

"For Panem's sake, District One, focus," Kade bellow. I turn around to see that the District Eight boy's mace in front of my face, but Kade has buried his axe in the boy's back and he falls to the ground.

I swear and Kade slaps me on the back. "Don't worry about it, mate. I've got your back."

I try to focus more on what's going on around me, but everything seems to have quietened down. The small island we stand on is littered with bodies, but there are not many people standing. Cara has taken down the girl from twelve, whose body has joined Reef's and the boy from Eleven. The body of the girl from District Three remains where Cara hit her on the pedestal.

I restrain the reflex to gag when I see the boy from Five that I killed. His arms are wrapped around the bag he was trying to carry.

Next to me, Kade has also stopped fighting. We look around for Ruby and Burla, and realise that they're still moving, standing either side of the little girl from District Seven. The girl lets out a horrific scream and Ruby slaps her across the face.

I run towards them, Kade at my heels. Ruby grabs onto the little girl's arms and lifts her up off the ground. Burla laughs manically.

I watch in horror as Burla traces lines over the little girl's cheeks with her knife. It's not unusual for the careers, especially those from District Two, to torture their victims. The Capitol enjoys the gore and it brings in new sponsors, but it doesn't usually happen this early in the games. The bloodbath is excitement enough for the audience. We don't need to do this.

"Stop screaming, pretty," Burla says as she flicks her knife up into one of the girl's eyes, smiling at the spurt of blood that pours out onto her face. "Or I'll have to cut out your tongue."

The girl from Seven goes silent, but it's very quickly apparent that it wasn't because of Burla's words. A throwing star is latched into her throat and when Ruby lets go of her she falls onto the floor.

Burla shrieks and tries to launch herself at Cara, waving her knife towards her face. Instinctively, I take a step towards Cara, blocking her from Burla. I don't know where I stand with Cara anymore but I know I'd still take her side over this psychopath from District Two. Kade grabs Burla's arms and holds her back.

"Calm down," Cara says, stepping forward to stand next to me. "You'll have time to play later."

"You _bitch. _You stole my kill," Burla screams.

Cara rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. I laugh at her nonchalance and Burla looks even more furious.

"I'll _kill you._ Just you wait. I will _take you down. _Both of you!"

"Stop it, Burla," Kade says. His voice is harsh and dangerous, and Burla goes limp in his arms. "We're allies. We don't behave like this. We'll make sure you get a chance to show off for the cameras but that doesn't have to be today. We don't need anymore deaths right now."

As if to confirm his words, the cannons from the bloodbath deaths start to fire. Twelve cannons. Half of the tributes are already dead, and from what I know they were all because of the Career pack. That must be some kind of record for the day of the bloodbath, and it means good things for us. We're stronger than the Careers usually are which means less sponsorship money will go to the outer districts, not that we were likely to struggle for supplies anyway.

"Come on," Ruby says, kicking the body of the girl from seven towards the water. "Let's shove them in the moat so the hovercrafts can collect them while we go through the supplies."

"We could bring the supplies somewhere else? There's no need to stay camped out here," Burla says, rubbing her arm where Kade was holding her.

"No. It's a good idea to stay here," Cara says. "It's easy to defend and easy to find, which is an advantage if we're going to be splitting up to hunt."

"Agreed," Kade says, giving Cara a nod.

We carefully lower the bodies that are scattered around the island into the moat, and watch as the hovercrafts arrive to collect them. I'm glad they're collected so quickly. I don't want to have to look again at the body of the boy I killed.

It's starting to get dark. I don't know what time it was when we arrived in the arena. I woke up early but the journey seemed to go on forever. The battle still must have lasted longer than I realised for it to be evening already.

Kade is going through the supplies looking for food. He finds a bag of bread rolls and a sack of apples, and throws some to each of us. I catch the apple and bite into it, stuffing the roll into my pocket for after.

Burla is focussing on starting a fire with some coal she's found in another bag. When she has it lit we all join her, sitting around the flickering warmth.

Cara sits down next to me and leans into me slightly, like she's been doing the last few days. I tense and she looks up at me curiously, but I don't say anything. She clearly thinks that nothing's changed between us. She doesn't know I saw her kill Reef.

The anthem sounds and we all look up at the sky. All of the deaths today have been down to us, so between us we could figure out everyone who's died, but this way is quicker and more reliable.

The first face to show is the girl from District Three, who died still crying on her pedestal, one of Cara's throwing stars in her neck. I glance over at Cara. Her face is void of any emotion. I suppose in some ways this girl's death was merciful. She was never going to make it far, and she died without suffering anything more than fear in the games.

Next we see Reef's face. I know that all the other careers must have realised he was dead, or they would have questioned where he'd gone, but they still seem surprised to see his face in the sky. It's the same photograph they used to broadcast his low training score. I suppose I might never know now what he was thinking when he scored so low. Cara bites her lip as she watches his face disperse into the sky. I don't see why she's upset. She did it, after all. Maybe she's having the decency to feel guilty for killing somebody who so clearly trusted her.

I have to swallow to stop myself from being sick when the boy from District Five appears. He's smiling in his photograph, and looks younger than I thought he was today. I wish I knew his name. I should have paid more attention in training.

The rest of the pictures mean nothing more to me than a dull reminder that we are here to watch children die. I watch, feeling strangely numb, as the faces of the girl from Six, the girl from Seven, both tributes from Eight, both from Nine and Eleven, and the girl from Twelve all appear in the sky.

When the anthem signifies the end of the recap Kade gives a slow clap.

"A good day's work, I'd say," he says. Burla and Ruby both look happy and excited, but I respect Kade for not basking in the glory of the killing. He seems to see it as a means to an end, and I like him more for it.

"I think it's worth talking about who killed who, just so we know where we all stand," Kade says. "I got the girl from Six, the boy from Eight and the boy from Nine."

I don't like this. I only killed one person today and if that's less than any of the others I know they'll start to think I'm a weak link. I can't have them turn against me, especially now that I'm not sure where I stand with Cara.

"I got the girl from Eight and the girl from Eleven," Burla says. "And I would have had the girl from Seven if Little Miss Sunshine hadn't taken her."

Burla scowls at Cara, who smiles sweetly.

"Right, yes, I got the girl from Seven, the girl from Three, the boy from Eleven and the girl from Twelve," Cara says, ticking them off on her fingers as she mentions them. She doesn't say anything about Reef's death and I decide that now is not the time to ask.

"Four deaths. Impressive," Kade says, nodding approvingly. I wonder what he'd think if he knew Cara's kill count actually came out greater than his own.

"The girl from Nine," Ruby says. She looks ready to defend herself but nobody asks her why she only killed one person.

"The boy from Five," I say. Part of me wishes I'd had another kill to look stronger but a larger part of me wishes I didn't have any names at all. "And I injured the girl from Five and the girl from Ten pretty badly. I don't think they'll get very far without help."

"Unfortunately we know that the girl from Ten _has _help, so that's not very helpful," Ruby says, looking at me pointedly.

"Doesn't hurt to have her weakened anyway," Kade says. "And Gloss helped me take down the boy from Eight, so I think he's done more than you Ruby. Watch your attitude."

Ruby stamps her foot into the floor, making clouds of white sand rise up, but she doesn't say anything. She knows Kade is in charge and contradicting him won't make her life last any longer.

"Do we know what happened to Reef?" Kade directs his question towards Cara but it's clear that any of us can answer. "I didn't see him at all during the battle."

"The boy from Eleven got him," Cara says calmly. "I don't know how he crept up on him but he slid a knife under his ribs. I tried to help him but he was already gone." She pauses, looking upset. "I killed Eleven for it though."

"Good girl," Kade says with a nod. "Well, it's a shame we lost an ally but there's nothing we can do about it now."

I watch Cara, trying to understand what she's doing. I don't like this game she's playing but she isn't acting like she's playing a game at all. She seems genuinely sad that Reef is dead. I don't know what to make of it. I wish Velvet was here to tell me what to do.

Kade is unpacking sleeping bags, throwing one to each of us. "We should get some rest. There's no point hunting tonight, we're all tired. District One, you two take the first watch."

I nod and unzip my sleeping bag to use as a blanket while I watch. I lean against the cornucopia and wrap the sleeping bag around my shoulders.

"Are you serious? Is this because we have the least kills? Because I can show you what I can do. Don't underestimate me, District Two," Ruby says, stepping towards Kade. "Guard duty on Day One? Is this some kind of a joke? I'm worth more than this."

Kade raises an eyebrow at her but doesn't seem to know what to say as she continues to complain about being told to keep watch. I don't know why she has a problem with it. We'll all end up taking a turn. I'm glad to do it now before I'm too exhausted.

"Oh, give it a rest, District One," Cara says, sounding irritated. "Not everything is a personal attack on you. Go to sleep. I'll keep watch with Gloss."

Ruby doesn't know what to say to this. I don't think she expected to get her way. She climbs into her sleeping bag next to Burla as Cara comes over and sits beside me, leaning back against the cool metal of the cornucopia.

I watch the others try to get comfortable in the thick, fluffy sleeping bags we've been given. Kade is soon snoring and after ten or fifteen minutes of restlessness both the girls seem to be asleep as well.

I'm aware that Cara is watching me, but I don't know what to say to her. Things have changed between us now that I've seen her turn on her childhood friend the way she did. Especially because she's not told us all the truth about what happened. I wanted to be able to trust her but now she seems terrifying and cruel, even as she smiles and shuffles closer to me.

I'm into the arena but the end of the Games seems further away than ever.

**A/N: This is the last chapter I have written at the moment so it might take me a bit longer to update than usual. Please remember to review, I'd love to get some feedback. Thanks for reading x**


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